Yes
by GeekChic12
Summary: "He talks to me sometimes. I mean, it's usually sort of one-sided, but… every once in a while, he'll make eye contact with me, and I feel like I've won the lottery or something." All human. Dedicated to lellabeth.
1. Flash

**Hi, lovely readers! **

**This little story is for my gorgeous fic-wife, Lellabeth, for her birthday (12/26). She's one of my absolute favorite people, and I hope she loves this almost as much as I love her!**

**This first chapter is the original flash from The Twilight 25 that I'm expanding, so some of you will recognize it.**

**The posting schedule will be a bit sporadic until after Christmas, and then I'm hoping to do daily updates. **

**Gigantic thanks to Twilly, Sophiacorgi, and Sulliedsoles for helping me and holding my hand so much with this story! I owe them all cupcakes and bewb gropes.**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

* * *

I let out a dreamy sigh as I pull my fries and drink toward me. "God, he's so cute."

Jessica cuts her eyes to the boy behind the skate-rental counter, who's busy spraying the insides of the boots. "Yeah but such a weirdo."

"He is _not_ a weirdo. Do you have to be such a bitch all the time?"

"Whatever. Doesn't he have like, ass-burgers or something?"

Angela heaves an exasperated sigh. "It's Asperger's, Jessica. You know that. You're just being mean."

"Whatever," she replies again. "He _is_ a weirdo, though. He doesn't talk to me, and he _never_ looks me in the eye when I rent my skates. He doesn't even check out my cleavage, and _everyone_ checks these babies out." She shakes her ample boobs together.

"Yeah, okay. Settle down there before you poke someone's eye out." I pop a fry into my mouth and gaze at the auburn-haired boy again.

He's still spraying.

"You know Billy has to buy extra spray now because he's kind of fixated on that?" Angela tips her chin toward him. "I think it's sweet that he just buys more instead of making him stop."

"Very sweet. And _Edward's_ sweet too. He talks to me sometimes. I mean, it's usually sort of one-sided. He kind of goes on and on about some online game he plays, but… every once in a while he'll make eye contact with me, and I feel like I've won the lottery or something. He even walked me to my car last weekend when Lauren ditched me to go see her ex."

"Wow," Angela breathes.

"I know. I couldn't believe it."

Edward's green eyes suddenly flit over to me for just a second, and I see one corner of his mouth tilt up as he goes back to his spraying.

Just that little acknowledgement from him makes a rush of tingles go over my body from the top down, like I'm standing under a waterfall, and my cheeks heat up.

Glancing at my friends, I see Jessica missed the exchange, but Angela is sharing my beaming smile.

When I step up to the counter, Edward stops spraying but stays turned to the side, not quite looking at me.

"Hey, Edward."

"Hi."

"Um, how are you?"

"Good. My warlock is level 80 now, and I got a cool new minion, and he deals so much damage, it's like I don't even need to be there, but it's kind of awesome too. And I got all new armor and weapons, and a new flying mount that goes _really_ fast, and…"

As he goes on, I just lean onto the counter, resting my chin in my hand and smiling at him. His eyes meet mine three times, more than ever before during one conversation, and I'm happy just to be near him.

Before he picks up his spray can again, I work up the courage to ask him to split a sundae on his break.

With no hesitation, he answers, "Yes."

_Yes._

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**Thank you for reading! xoxo**


	2. Cute

**Here is the first ****_new_**** chapter for a lot of you. I'm thinking one more tonight, but remember, the updates will be sporadic. Thanks in advance for your patience and for giving this little story a shot!**

**Never-ending gratitude to my lovely pre-readers/betas: Sulliedsoles, Sophiacorgi, and Lella's sister fic-wife, Twilly. ;) They are amazeballs!**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 2 - Cute**

"Go on ahead," Billy says, walking over to us after hearing me ask Edward to split a sundae. "The spraying can wait." There's a twinkle in his eye that's not lost on me.

"Are you certain?" Edward asks, looking from his spray can to the skates in front of him. "You said to be thorough."

"You're right." He nods, letting out a soft chuckle. "I did. And you do an excellent job at that. But yes, I'm sure."

Edward shrugs. "Okay."

Giving Billy a grateful smile, I wait for Edward to come around the counter, and then we walk side by side to the concession area. He hasn't looked at me again since our conversation, but I figure he will once we sit down with our sundae.

I'm wrong.

Edward has tunnel vision and focuses on getting as much of the soft-serve and fudge into his mouth as possible with each bite. I try not to laugh at him, but he's just so cute with the little drop of chocolate on the edge of his mouth. If it was any other boy, I would think it was disgusting. But not him.

A giggle finally escapes me, and he slowly puts his spoon down, sheepishly wiping his lips with a napkin.

"Please don't laugh at me," he whispers, barely loud enough for me to hear, staring at his red plastic spoon.

The hurt in his voice is unmistakable, and I blanch, feeling a knot form in my chest. "Oh, I'm not. I'm sorry. Please don't be upset. You just looked so cute. I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

Edward's thick eyebrows draw together, and his forehead wrinkles. "Cute?"

"Yes," I whisper, suddenly feeling shy. I'm not normally shy around boys, but this one does a number on me. He makes my skin feel tingly-hot and my heart gallop at an unnatural pace.

"I think you're cute too," he whispers back, blushing sweetly, and the knot in my chest dissolves away, comforting warmth taking its place.

He doesn't see my answering smile.

* * *

Angela and Jessica went back to skating while I stole about three bites of the hot fudge sundae Edward and I "shared". I make a beeline for Angela, pulling her to stand at the back wall of the rink that's covered in ugly shag carpet once Edward is back behind his counter.

"Oh, my God, Angela! He said he thinks I'm cute!"

"Oh, my God!"

"I know!"

"What else did you talk about?"

My eyes go to my plain beige rental skates, dingy from years of use by God only knows how many people. When Edward started working at Skagit Skate, I packed away my awesome black ones with purple laces and wheels and started renting as an excuse to talk to him.

"Um, not much. But I did find out that he's starting at our school this fall. _And_ he's a senior."

"Oh, he's not going to Burlington?"

"Nope." A huge smile takes over my face. "Mt. Vernon."

"That's so great, Bella."

"What's so great?" Jessica asks, skating to a stop beside us.

I turn my beaming smile on her. "Edward's gonna be at our school this fall, in our grade."

She doesn't even try to hide the distaste that crosses her face. "Oh."

"What the fuck's your problem?" I ask, indignant on Edward's behalf.

"It's just… I don't know." She tilts her curly head. "Why would his parents make him start at a new school his senior year? And with his… _problems_, I just don't see how he'll fit in. And you're not gonna like, _adopt_ him and bring him into our group, are you? He's just _so weird_."

My eyes narrowed more and more during her little speech, and now I can barely see her through the thin slits between my eyelids. My nostrils flare as I grind my teeth. Why am I friends with this girl again?

"First of all, he's not a _puppy_. So, no. I'm not going to 'adopt' him. If I want to spend time with him, though, which I _do_, then I will. If you can't fucking deal with it, then you don't have to be around us. But for the record, I think you're being ridiculous." I can read the shock on her face. I don't call her out on her shit nearly often enough, but she's seriously pissing me off. "I mean, what? Do you think your property value's gonna go down just because he's nearby? How in the world does this even affect you?"

Jessica's mouth opens and closes like a fish before she decides she doesn't have an answer and skates away. That's what I thought. It doesn't affect her at all, but she's so selfish, she can't see past her own boobs.

"Wow," Angela finally says from beside me. "I didn't think you had it in you to tell Jessica off like that. I mean, yeah. She's a bitch, but… Wow."

"It felt good," I whisper just loud enough for her to hear over the people rolling by us.

I glance over to the rental counter and catch Edward's eyes on me just before he looks away. There's no way he could have heard our conversation, but I wonder, as I have a hundred times before, just what is going on in that enigmatic head of his.

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**Thanks so much for reading! xoxo**

**This story now has a banner, made by the ever-talented Twilly! Link will be on my profile. :D**


	3. Chemistry

**Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews! I'm so happy you're loving this Edward as much as I do. :)**

**Huge thanks to Twilly, Sophiacorgi, and Sulliedsoles! You ladies rock my socks off!**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

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**Chapter 3 - Chemistry**

There's always that little bit of anticipation when starting a new school year. At least for me. I get along with most everyone, and I love seeing what people decide to wear for the first day and which classes I'll share with friends.

This year, my excitement has reached epic proportions because Edward will be there. I find myself wanting to look especially good for him and spend a little extra time on my hair and makeup.

After zipping my knee-high boots over my skinny jeans, I grab my backpack, head to the kitchen for some Pop Tarts—Mom and Dad have already left, so I'm on my own—and then out to Big Red. She starts up with a grumble, and I pat her dash lovingly. "Come on, old girl. It's gonna be a great year."

I honk my horn, and my brother _finally_ emerges through the front door, his hulky frame belying the fact that we're twins. He totalled his car over the summer and is saving up for another one, so he climbs into my truck for a ride. "About time, ass-face."

"Shut it, dick-breath."

"Oooo, good one," I reply, shifting into reverse. "I need to use that on Tyler when he inevitably starts asking me out again."

"Full of yourself much?"

"Nah. I just know he has it bad for me because I don't fall for his smooth talk and douchey pick-up lines."

Emmett snorts. "It's gonna be a great year, sis."

"My thoughts exactly."

* * *

Disappointment sets in after not seeing Edward for the entire morning, even though I'm happy about having Angela in my first two classes and Emmett in third period English. At lunch, I finally spot him. Edward comes through the propped open double doors and stops, looking around uncertainly and clutching a blue vinyl lunch bag. His russet hair is in complete disarray, and he looks sinfully good in a black v-neck sweater and dark jeans.

I don't think he would ever approach me on his own, so I tell Jessica and Angela I'll be right back and walk right up to him. I want him to feel comfortable, and he looks anything but.

"Hi, Edward."

His green gaze flickers to my face and then settles on what I assume is my left shoulder, the dimple in his left cheek making a brief appearance. "Hello, Bella."

"Do you want to come sit with me?"

"Yes."

I smile. "Okay. I'm right over here." Leading him to our table, I see Jessica stop mid-chew as she notices us. She gathers her things and stands as we approach.

"Really, Jess?"

"I forgot I told Mike I'd sit with him. Have a good lunch, guys."

"Right," I mutter after she's gone, taking my seat again across from Angela. If Jessica's going to be like that, good riddance.

Edward sits down right next to me and doesn't say a word. He begins unpacking his lunch methodically, long fingers lining everything up from largest item to smallest before carefully unwrapping his sandwich. He bows his head and closes his eyes, his lips moving for a moment before he utters a quiet, "amen."

Angela and I share a smile and resume eating as Edward picks up one half of his sandwich and takes a big bite. She and I talk about our teachers and whether or not we think we'll do well in our classes. Edward doesn't chime in, and neither of us expects him to.

"How's your first day going?" I ask him quietly once he's hoovered his sandwich.

"Um. Good." He shrugs. "I guess. No one's really talked to me except a guy I know from the rink and a girl named Jane."

"Ugh. Steer clear of her."

"Why?" He asks innocently.

"She's trouble."

"Oh." He nods, looking at the Pepsi can in his hand. "Okay. I will. I don't want any trouble."

The inflection in his voice, like he's genuinely scared, breaks my heart. I lean toward him a little. "Hey, it's okay. She's just… probably not the kind of person you should hang around with."

"Can I hang around with you?" His bright eyes meet mine and hold for a moment, and I'm so shocked I don't answer right away. "Never mind," he whispers and looks down at his food again.

"No! I mean, yes! Of course you can hang out with me." I sigh and throw a _help me_ look at Angela. "I mean, I _want_ you to hang out with me if you want to. And Angela too. Right, Ang?"

"Right." She nods even though he's not looking at her. "And my boyfriend, Ben, will usually be sitting with us too. He's really nice, although I guess I'm a little biased." Her smile widens but then falls a bit. "He has the flu, so he couldn't start today, but hopefully he'll be better soon and you can meet him."

Edward utters a quiet, "Okay."

He seems painfully shy around anyone other than me. He's warmed up to me a lot since I first started talking to him at the rink. I don't think the shyness is only caused by the Asperger's, though. I've met one other person with the condition, and he wasn't really shy. Just kind of awkward.

Edward's definitely socially awkward, but he's so sweet. Not to mention gorgeous and gentlemanly and smart. I let out a quiet sigh as I turn back to my lunch, again just happy to be near him.

As we clean up from lunch, I ask Edward which class he has next, and my heart flutters in my chest when he says honors chemistry.

"With Mr. Spalding?"

Edward pulls his schedule out of his back pocket and unfolds it to confirm. "Yes."

I beam at him as he carefully refolds the schedule and slips it back into his pocket. "Great! I'm in that class too. Do you want to walk with me?"

A shy smile graces his lips. "Yes."

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**Thank you for reading! xoxo**


	4. Sailor

**Okay, this is for real the last one for tonight, and probably for the next couple of days, lol. I'm just an impatient h00r, and this is my favorite chapter so far.**

**Love you all!**

**Many thanks go to Twilly, Sulliedsoles, and Sophiacorgi!**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Sailor**

Walking down the hall together feels couple-y, even though I know we're nowhere near that stage.

Yet.

Hoping for something more than one-sided conversations and limited eye-contact seems daunting, but I've been so drawn to him since the first time I saw him, I just can't help it.

I notice Edward mostly has his eyes cast at a downward angle so he can see where he's going but won't inadvertently make eye contact with anyone. It makes me sad, and I want more than anything to hold his hand right now.

I want to hold his hand all the time.

The fingers on my left hand, the one closest to his right, twitch when I feel the heat of his hand in close proximity. I feel like we've developed a good foundation of friendship over the summer, but I don't know how he'd react if I just reached over and entwined our fingers. It might be a bit much for the first day of school, so I resist.

It's not easy.

Mr. Spalding assigns lab partners, and Edward fidgets and squirms next to Mike Newton, one of the douchebag jocks in our school. I watch Mike's eyes narrow at Edward and assess him, and I can see the exact moment he decides he's easy prey.

My hands ball into fists when Mike knocks Edward's pen to the floor. Edward calmly bends to pick it up like this happens a hundred times a day.

It better fucking _not._

I want to slap Mike. I want to hug Edward and never let go. I want to do so many things right now, but I stay in my seat. When class is over, I'll ask Mr. Spalding if I can switch. As long as Edward is okay with it, surely he'll agree.

Mike pulls his shit all through class, and I'm absolutely fuming by the end.

I dart right up to their table. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" I growl at him before he's even out of his seat.

He gives me an easy smile. "Oh, hey, Bella. Lookin' good." A wink I'm sure he thinks is sexy follows.

"Did you not fucking hear me?" My words were almost drowned out by the sounds of stools scraping across linoleum and students chattering, but there's no way he didn't hear what I said. "Is your head so far up Tyler's ass it's affecting your hearing now?"

It's then I realize Edward's eyes are trained on me, and they're wide as saucers. He's never heard me speak this way before. I've never shown this side of myself to him, but I'm so angry right now, I can't contain it. And, well, this is me. He'd find out sooner or later that I normally cuss like a sailor. A drunk, hairy, tattooed one.

"What's your problem, Swan? Sweet on the new kid?"

"If you must know, yeah. I am." I lift my chin at him in challenge. I figure he didn't expect that answer, and he proves me right when he can't come up with a response right away.

"Uh…" He holds his hands up in surrender. "It's cool. I don't want any trouble with Emmett. We can switch partners or whatever. If you want."

I snort at him and shake my head. What a pussy. He's so afraid of my brother, he'll do anything to avoid a confrontation with him. Not that I can blame him. My twin is about three times my size, after all. Poor Mom.

"I _want_." I nod smugly at him. "I'll talk to Spalding. Run along now, Mikey."

When I look back to Edward, he's staring at the black lab table, but he side-eyes me every few seconds. Sighing, I sit next to him after Mike has scurried away like the cockroach he is. "Sorry about that. I know you probably don't like that kind of language, considering the fact that you were praying earlier at lunch."

"They're just words," he says with an almost-smile.

"True. So… Do you still want to hang around with me?" I ask, bumping his shoulder lightly and almost causing him to fall off his stool. I giggle-snort. "Sorry."

"It's okay. And yes."

"Good. So I'll talk to Spalding about switching partners if that's cool." I shake my head. "Fucking Mike. Ugh."

"Yeah," Edward whispers. "He kind of… sucks."

I can't help but laugh. He's so damn cute. "He definitely sucks," I agree, nodding. "Come on. We'd better go, or we'll be late to our next class. I'll catch Spalding tomorrow after lunch."

* * *

Spalding is a crotchety old fart and thankfully gives no fucks about who partners with whom.

Edward's eyes cut to mine as I slide onto the stool next to him, and his almost-too-pretty-for-a-guy lips stretch into a smile.

Scraping my teeth across my bottom lip, I smile back at him and settle in for class.

I should have thought this through more.

He's _right_ next to me. I mean, duh, I knew he'd be right next to me, but… I can't _not_ be aware of him and his long fingers wrapped around his pen and his clean-boy smell and the way his tongue peeks out of his mouth when he's concentrating especially hard, and...

I am going to _fail_ honors chemistry.

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**Thank you for reading! xoxo**


	5. Boyfriend

**You guys are absolutely blowing me away with the response to this! I apologize for not getting back to you on reviews. I'm not sure I'll have time to, but I'll do my best if you have a specific question. Please know that I appreciate you all so very much! And if I miss a question, please feel free to PM me.**

**Eternal thanks to Twilly, Sophiacorgi, Sulliedsoles, and my newest wonderful prereader, BlueIsSoul! These ladies are so amazing, and I couldn't do this without them.**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

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**Chapter 5 - Boyfriend**

By Tuesday of our second week, Edward is finally comfortable enough to come right over to our lunch table and sit down. Ben's appearance in the middle of last week threw him a bit, and I had to bring him over each time he'd stop uncertainly after entering the cafeteria. Ben has been nothing but kind and welcoming, though, so things have been going smoothly.

He and Edward have also bonded over World of Warcraft, and it's been pretty hilarious to listen to them talk about it. Sometimes, Edward gets too excited and talks right over Ben, but he doesn't seem to mind. Angela and I just giggle and carry on our own conversations when they get lost in Azeroth (yes, I've learned the name) together.

When Emmett suddenly plops down next to me, I sense Edward stiffen on my other side. I've talked to Emmett about Edward a little bit. We're very close and tell each other almost everything, so of course he knows about him, but I haven't introduced them yet. Emmett can be a bit much, and Edward is so shy as it is. I feel like Emmett might overwhelm him.

"Hey, I forgot my lunch money. Can you spot me a ten?"

My ponytail swings dramatically as my head snaps to the side to face Emmett. "_Ten_? Exactly how many lunches are you _buying_?"

He levels me with a look that says I should consider who I'm talking to, mouth set in a straight line. "Dude. I'm _starving_. All I had were two sad little blueberry muffins this morning." He throws a beefy arm over my shoulders and gives me the huge, sad puppy-dog eyes, which _I_ invented, by the way. He totally stole that look from me to get Mom to give him his way. Mine only seems to work on Dad.

My peripheral vision catches swift movement to my left, and I turn to see Edward hurriedly packing up his food.

"Oh, hey, man," Emmett says, extending his free hand to Edward. "I've heard a lot about you. I'm Emmett."

Edward stares at his hand for an uncomfortable length of time, so Emmett pulls it back. "I need to go," Edward says in a rush and bolts before I can get a word out.

My mouth hangs open, as do Angela's and Ben's, as we watch him retreat, leaning forward as he takes long strides, like he can't get away fast enough.

I whirl around and smack Emmett on the chest.

"Owww, fuck-face. What the hell was _that_ for?"

"You scared him."

"All I did was introduce myself. _Jesus_," he says, rubbing the spot where I slapped him.

"Oh, don't be such a baby. I'm sure that hurt my hand worse than it hurt _you_. Here." I dig a ten dollar bill out of my purse and shove it into his hand. "Go buy your stupid food. I'll go find Edward."

"Thanks, sis." Emmett leans in toward me and whispers, "Sorry."

"Oh, Em. I'm not really mad at you. I think he just gets uncomfortable easily. It's my fault. I should have introduced you guys sooner."

Emmett goes to get his food and rejoin his football friends at their table, and I head out through the door that leads outside, taking the same path I saw Edward take. I finally find him sitting on top of one of the picnic tables with his face in his hands. His head shakes every couple seconds, and he seems to be muttering something.

As I get closer, I hear it.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid."

"Hey," I say quietly, laying my hand on his arm.

He nearly jumps out of his skin and lifts his head up. Tear-tracks line his face, and his eyes are the brightest green I've ever seen.

"Oh, God, Edward. What's wrong? Are you okay? Did something happen?" My hands flutter over him, checking to see if he's hurt, and my heart squeezes at the pain in his eyes as they dart to my face for a second.

His nostrils flare, and his knee bounces as he looks back down and away from me. "You should probably go back in there with your boyfriend."

"My… _what_?"

"I don't want to sit with you at lunch anymore, Bella."

My eyes widen as my heart seems to lodge in my throat. "You don't? But I thought we were friends. I—"

His right fist pounds the top of his thigh twice. "I want to be more than your friend. I want to be your boyfriend. But I've been deceived before by a girl just like you, with pretty eyes and nice boobs, and I can't let it happen again. I don't want to change schools again. I should have just adhered to my plan and not made any friends, and everything would have been fine. But no. You show up at the rink with your hair and your boobs, and I can't think straight around you, and—"

I don't even think about it. I grab his face, pull him toward me, and kiss him for all I'm worth.

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**Thank you for reading! xoxo**


	6. Charms

**I am seriously blown away by the response to this, and I'm a little freaked out, to be honest. But I love you guys so much and can't thank you enough for all of your support in tackling this kind of story! I love hearing about your own experiences with those with Asperger's. Thank you!**

**Huge thanks to BlueIsSoul, Twilly, Sophiacorgi, and Sulliedsoles for all of their invaluable help!**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 6 - Charms**

With my lips pressed firmly to his, I cradle his beautiful face in my hands, feeling his strong jawline for the first time. My fingers play at the sharp corners of it, right under his ears, and he lets out a quiet moan against my mouth. But just as I think he's going to open to me, his lips mash together and twist, and he pushes me away.

"Why are you doing this to me?" His voice is laced with pain, and I'm clearly an idiot. "You're just like _her_."

Before I can get my wits about me and respond, his long legs are carrying him away from me.

"Emmett's my…" I yell at his back, but he's already too far away. "...brother," I finish quietly. "Shit."

Edward doesn't show up to chemistry, and I spend the entire hour fighting tears and decimating my nails between gnashing teeth.

How could I have fucked things up so much that he skips class the second week of school?

_God._ What a mess.

I still don't even know exactly what happened. Obviously he misunderstood mine and Emmett's relationship, but saying I _deceived_ him? And it's happened before? I need to find him. Like, now.

After chemistry, I hurry out to the parking lot. Edward's old, boxy Volvo is nowhere in sight, and my heart sinks.

He left.

And I don't know where he lives.

_Fuck._

Time to work my charms.

"Hi, Mrs. Cope," I greet in my best fake cheerful voice as I walk into the office. I'm anything but happy right now, but I need information this old bitty has, and I will do almost anything to get it.

"Bella, dear. How are you?"

"Great, thanks! How are you? Is your back still giving you trouble?" I tilt my head sympathetically as she rubs at her lower back.

"Oh, I'm used to it now. It comes and goes. How're your classes going so far? Need some help?"

"Well, I do need some help, but not with my classes. I actually need the home address for another student."

Mrs. Cope shakes her head. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear. I can't give that information out. School policy."

I nod. "I understand. It's just that this person left early, and he left behind his chemistry book." I hold mine up as 'proof'. "We have a big test tomorrow, and I know he'll need it to study."

"You have a big test this early in the year?"

_Shit._ "Well, it's more like a quiz-slash-knowledge assessment?" I say like it's a question and hope my nervous laugh doesn't give me away.

She cocks her head and eyes me suspiciously through cat-eye glasses. "Bella, I know you're a good girl. So why don't you try telling me the truth, and maybe I'll help you."

My eyes widen at her, and I gulp. "Um… Well…" She's better than I thought. Time to woman up. "Okay. I sort of upset the new boy, Edward. Well, not sort of. I _really_ upset him, and he's _so_ sweet. I just feel awful. He skipped our chemistry class, and I just_ really_ need to talk to him and make things right. _Please,_" I beg with clasped hands.

Puppy-dog eyes, don't fail me now.

"Oh, sweetheart." Her eyes soften, and she pats my hand. "Okay, but don't tell anyone. And if the Cullens get upset," she says, her face suddenly stony, "you didn't get this information from me, got it?" For a minute, I'm scared of Mrs. Cope.

I get a tardy pass from her also and decide to tough out my last two classes of the day. Getting into trouble with Mom and Dad sucks balls, and I'd rather avoid it.

When I pull up to the Cullens' modest home set back against huge evergreen trees, I realize I'm shaking. I don't know what to say, but I won't let my nerves get the best of me. I have to make this right. Even if he doesn't want to be friends with me anymore.

The tears that threaten at that thought sting my eyes as I step out of my car and up to the front door.

A gorgeous woman with hair almost the same color as Edward's answers the door, and I lose my words. I just stand there and stare into her green eyes. This is obviously his mother, and how can I explain that I somehow hurt her baby boy so much that I made him cry?

"May I help you?" she asks, not unkindly.

I fidget with the hem of my t-shirt and shift back and forth on my feet. "Um…" I look longingly back at my car for a second.

"Are you Bella?"

Swallowing hard, I face her again. "Yes."

She sighs and backs up into the entryway. "Come in. We should probably talk."

* * *

***hides* Thank you for reading! xoxo**


	7. Details

**I am consistently blown away by the love for this little story. Thank you all so much! Big thanks to Edward's Eternal for sending a slew of new readers my way. I truly appreciate it, and welcome, new readers! I do hope you'll enjoy. :)**

**I can't thank you guys enough for taking the time to leave me reviews! They just mean so much and are so motivating, and I love hearing from you! I've been asked if there will be an EPOV, and I don't have one planned at this time, but I never say never. ;)**

**Huge puffy hearts to my lovely pre-readers/betas: BlueIsSoul, Twilly, Sulliedsoles, and Sophiacorgi. These ladies are just amazing. Thank you!**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 7 - Details**

After handing me a glass of water, Edward's mother sits on the couch across from me. The coffee table between us feels like a nice barrier, but then I imagine her flipping it out of the way and lunging at me, and I gulp down my water, looking anywhere but at her.

"I'm hoping that since you're here, this is all just a big misunderstanding?"

Wiping my mouth with the end of my sleeve, I set my glass down on the table. "Um. Yes." I look around the room like I'm going to find Edward lurking in a corner and ask, "Is he here?"

"No."

"Oh." I nod and pick up my water glass again for something to hold on to.

"He called me when he left school, and I met him here, but then he left."

"Will you, um… tell me where he went?"

She sighs, and I prepare myself to be asked to leave. "Look, I know this is between the two of you, and I try my best not to baby my son. But the fact is, he _is_ my baby, and I don't like seeing him hurting. He had a lot of problems at his old school, mostly with bullies. But there was also a girl who messed with his head and humiliated him, and that's not your fault, Bella, but I _can't_ let that happen to him again. We didn't think he'd ever be the same again after that. He became so closed off, and…" She trails off with tears in her eyes, looking off to the side for a moment, lost in a haunting memory. I find myself wanting to comfort her even though I barely know her. My nose tingles, and tears prick my eyes. Looking back to me, she says, "I'm sorry. I should let him tell you. It's just… he really cares about you. Please, _please_ don't hurt him."

Tears spill down my cheeks, and I shake my head. "Mrs. Cullen, I don't want to hurt him. Ever. I care about him, too. I promise. I'm sorry about all of this. It's my fault. I hadn't introduced him to my brother yet because he's just so… _Emmett_," I say with wide eyes and a head bob. "And he came and sat next to me at lunch today, which really never happens. Of course, he threw his arm over my shoulders, and I guess Edward assumed he was my boyfriend. And then he left the cafeteria, and I found him on one of the picnic tables, and I _kissed_ him, and—"

"That's okay," she interrupts with a hand up. "I don't need to know all the details. I just want to make sure your intentions are good. I know most everyone gets hurt by love in their lifetime, but what he went through, Bella… I don't think he could handle that again." Her eyes are bright green with her tears.

"I understand. And I promise you, I don't want anything from him beyond what he's willing to give. I just enjoy spending time with him." I shrug. "He's the sweetest guy I've ever met." My smile mirrors hers at that, and she stands, so I do the same.

"He found an old treehouse set back in the woods a ways when he was exploring after we moved in. He likes to go out there to think and draw."

"He draws?"

"Houses. He wants to be an architect."

"Oh. I didn't know that."

She comes over and gives my upper arm a reassuring squeeze. "You'll get to know him, Bella. Give him time, and he'll let you in."

Smiling at her, I answer, "Okay. Should I…?" I tip my chin toward their back yard.

"Sure. Go ahead. There's a little path back behind the shed."

I start walking toward the back sliding glass door.

"Oh, and Bella?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"You can call me Esme. It's nice to meet you."

I duck my head and blush. "Nice to meet you too… Esme."

She gives me a warm smile before bending to gather our water glasses, and I slip out the door.

The path through the woods is easy to find and well-worn. It feels like I'm never going to find this fucking treehouse, though. I walk and walk and try not to trip, and _finally, _I see it. It must have belonged to a little girl at one point because it's pink, with little flower boxes on the windows and butterflies painted on the door. It's exactly something I would have wanted as a kid.

All the little windows are open, so I call out his name to let him know I'm here.

"Go away."

_Ouch. _"No. I'm coming up. I need to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you, Bella."

I step to the pink ladder on the trunk and look up at the trap door. "Please just hear me out, Edward, and then if you want me to go, I'll go."

He doesn't respond, so I take that as an invitation. Whether it is or not doesn't matter. I've got to clear things up.

I finally hoist myself, pretty gracelessly I might add, through the small door. The fact that he wasn't sitting directly on it is a good sign. "Hi, Edward." He's in the corner, drawing on graph paper, and his eyes flick to mine for a split-second and then go right back to his paper. Again, he doesn't respond.

Huffing out a breath, I sit cross-legged right in front of him. A sound of protest leaves his mouth when I remove the pad and pencil from his hands. "I need you to listen to me, okay?"

Still no response. He stares at his left knee that's almost touching my right one.

"_God_, Edward. Come on." Exasperated with his persistent silence, I finally decide to just start with the most important thing he needs to know. "Emmett's _not_ my fucking boyfriend."

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading! xoxo**


	8. Chelsea

Previously: _"Emmett's _not_ my fucking boyfriend."_

**Chapter 8 - Chelsea**

Edward's eyebrows dip, and his head shakes a little. "He's… not? But he was all over you. I saw him."

"He's my twin brother."

"Your… Oh." His cheeks turn bright red.

Ducking down to catch his eyes, I ask, "Will you tell me what happened at your old school? Your mom mentioned a girl." His gaze meets mine and then retreats again. "It might help me understand better."

Edward's hands ball into fists, and his entire body tenses up. "It was… She… I mean…"

Placing my hands over his, I murmur, "Breathe." His hands flatten onto his knees, and I keep mine on top.

Edward's eyes pierce mine for a moment as he takes a deep breath, and I lose mine. He's just stunningly beautiful. Maybe it's better that he doesn't make eye contact often. I might actually die from that heart-stealing green gaze.

"She, um… Her name is Chelsea. She has red hair and blue eyes, and I had a crush on her in middle school." His fingers wiggle under mine as he shifts around a bit. "She and I had been friends back then, but then in high school, she got popular and stopped talking to me. I had glasses and braces then, and that made people not like me, I guess." His shoulders shrug, and everything in me wants to hug him so hard right now.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I honestly don't understand how anyone could not like you."

His cheeks pink up even more than they already were, and the corners of his mouth lift. Sliding my fingers around his wrists, I stroke my thumbs over the backs of his hands as he continues.

"I stopped paying attention to Chelsea after a while, and I didn't keep track of the popular crowd. I definitely was never going to be a part of _that_ group." He shakes his head. "Last year, she started talking to me one day and flipping her hair and pressing herself into me, and I thought she wanted to be friends again. But no other girls had ever pressed up against me like that, and it was... enjoyable." He peeks up at me again, and I hide my brief and misplaced envy of this faceless girl who got to press up against him. "I couldn't believe it when she kissed me after school that day, though. I didn't understand why she wanted to kiss me all of a sudden because she hadn't talked to me in years. It was my very first kiss."

A jealous pang hits my chest, but then he scowls at the memory.

"I went with her to her house a few days later, and she kissed me again and offered me some soda. She brought it to me in a glass with ice, and I drank it right down because I was extremely thirsty." He pulls one hand out from under mine to rake through his messy hair. "Um… I don't remember much about getting home after that, but I remember my mom and dad were upset with me for being gone so long and not answering my phone. I told them I just needed to go to sleep. I was _so_ tired." His eyes begin to fill with tears, and my chest cracks open. "Then the next day at school, people were calling me all kinds of names, like... baby dick," he says, his voice lowering to a whisper," and stuff like that. And I found out she'd taken pictures of me naked and posted them online." His hands go back to fists, and he rocks forward a bit. "I wasn't even hard, and I'm a grower, Bella. I can show you."

I giggle at that, despite the seriousness of what happened to him. "Not right now, but thanks." Still smiling, I squeeze his hand to let him know he can keep going.

"Right. Anyway, everyone was just so malicious. I'd already had trouble with bullies, but what she did exacerbated everything. It turned out she had a boyfriend." His eyes flick to mine, and I understand a little more where he was coming from earlier.

"It's okay. Keep going," I murmur to him.

"Her boyfriend was mad at me for not letting him cheat off my pre-calculus mid-term, and he wanted to get back at me. He knew I had a crush on her before, and he used her to humiliate me, Bella." Edward's face crumples, and he shakes his head. "I didn't turn her in."

My brows furrow at that. "Why not?"

"I just wanted it to be over. Everyone knew. The teachers, the principal. He was threatening expulsion to a few people who were suspected, and her own boyfriend ended up ratting her out. My parents wanted to press charges, but I just wanted to forget the whole thing and leave. I didn't want to have to testify and stuff about my own…" He gestures toward his crotch. "..._penis._" His head bows even more, and all I see are the red and gold strands of his hair, lit up by the sunlight streaming in through the windows."I didn't think I could handle much more embarrassment. I'd already been wanting to move and switch schools for a while, but Dad's accounting business was well established there in Bellingham. They made the sacrifice for me after the whole thing with Chelsea, though."

"Of course they did, Edward. They love you."

"I know, but I barely spoke to anyone, including them, for months after it happened. I think it really frightened them. I feel bad about that."

Tentatively, I reach up and run my fingers through his hair, and his body relaxes visibly. "You shouldn't feel bad, Edward. You didn't do anything wrong."

He nods. "When I finally talked to them and told them I couldn't remember what happened, they _really_ wanted to press charges. They think she gave me rohypnol, which is a benzodiazepine that—"

I see red. "I know what rohypnol is. That bitch _roofied_ you?"

Nodding again, he says, "That's what we think happened, but she never admitted to it. She was resolute in that I simply fell asleep. By then, it was too late to have my blood tested or anything. She took the pictures down, but the damage was done."

"God, Edward. I'm so sorry that happened to you." My fingers continue to rake through his hair because it seems to keep him more relaxed.

"So, Emmett's your brother." He peeks up at me, and all I want to do is hold him and kiss him again. "And I thought he was your boyfriend, and I felt jealous and betrayed. I—"

"It's okay. Just next time something happens that upsets you, give me a chance to explain before you walk away. Deal?"

"Yes."

"Okay. And same goes for me. If I get upset, I'll talk to you instead of storming off like I sometimes do." I shrug. I definitely did that to my ex a lot, and it never helped. "So… What you said before about wanting to be my boyfriend…" He blushes, and so do I, a tingling warmth spreading through me at the thought of being his girlfriend. "Does that offer still stand?"

One of my hands still rests on top of his, and he flips his over so we're palm to palm, his long fingers stroking my wrist. The smile that lights up his face is something I want to look at every day for the rest of my life. "Yes."

* * *

**I may be able to get one more chapter out tomorrow and then probably won't update again until Christmas Day or the day after, which is lellabeth's birthday. Thank you so much for reading and for all your lovely and thoughtful reviews! I big puffy heart you all!**

**Thanks as always to SophiaCorgi, Sulliedsoles, BlueIsSoul, and Twilly!**


	9. Boobs & Enchiladas

**I cannot thank you all enough for the love you've shown for this little story, and this Edward & Bella. It just means the world to me. **

**Huge thanks to Twilly, Sulliedsoles, BlueIsSoul, and Sophiacorgi for always making these chapters better!**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 9 - Boobs & Enchiladas**

"So… you're my fucking boyfriend," I whisper, leaning in and pressing my forehead to his.

"Yes," Edward whispers back.

"Does that mean it's okay to kiss you now?"

"Yes."

Closing the distance between our mouths, our warm breaths mix together in the cool air, and I want to remember this moment forever. My lips meet his, soft and slow, and his jaw is once again a magnet for my hands. His big hands come down on my thighs and burn me through the denim. Flicking and teasing his lips with my tongue brings soft moans from him, but I don't push. I know he's inexperienced.

I want to educate him.

I'll go as slow as he needs, though.

"You're really good at that," he says after we come up for air.

I laugh. "Thanks. Listen, I'm sorry about that kiss earlier. I mean, I'm not sorry about the kiss itself because I'd been wanting to do that forever, but I'm so sorry it upset you, and—"

"I'm just sorry it wasn't my _first_ kiss," he says, and I've never been so happy to be interrupted in my life.

This time, he initiates, moving in to kiss me some more. His hands squeeze my thighs rhythmically. "You can touch me, Edward."

"Your boobs?"

"Yes," I reply on a laugh. "You can touch me wherever you want."

I would never say that to just any boy, but the idea of _this_ boy touching me has me burning and pulsing with need.

Edward unfurls his long legs, and I move mine underneath me to make room for him to stretch out. Shuffling forward on my knees, I take hold of his hand and move it to cover my breast.

"Oh, wow. It doesn't feel anything like a bag of sand."

I burst out laughing. "Yeah, not so much. Steve Carrell definitely had that one wrong."

He squeezes and plays, and his other hand goes to the other breast. "I'm going to want to touch these a lot, Bella, just so you know."

A moan escapes me as his thumbs brush over my nipples. "Have at it, loverboy."

* * *

After Edward has enjoyed some boob action and I've gotten my tongue inside his mouth, we talk and get to know each other a little more. He asks me questions like he's using a checklist in his mind. We learn each other's birthdays and favorite songs. I find out he's already eighteen and will turn nineteen the day after Christmas. He was held back in kindergarten because his communicative difficulties were misdiagnosed as learning disabilities.

"So, you were already eighteen when that bi— I mean, Chelsea took those pictures of you?"

"Yes."

"Damn. I was wondering why charges weren't brought against her by the state or something, but I didn't know if that was automatic or not."

Edward shrugs. "I don't know. I try not to think about it too much anymore."

Sitting next to him, I lean into his shoulder and squeeze his hand. "I can understand that."

He tells me about his older brother, Jasper, who goes to UDub. He asks me more questions, some I have to really think about, like what my favorite flower is. No one's ever asked me that before.

After a few more mostly-chaste kisses, we finally decide to get back to the house. The sun will be setting soon, and we're kind of far back in the woods.

Esme smiles at us as we walk in hand-in-hand, and I notice a not-so-subtle nod from Edward in my peripheral vision. "Bella, would you like to stay for dinner? I'm making enchiladas."

"Oh, sure. Thank you. I'll just text my mom to let her know." I step over to where I left my bag when I first came in, and I watch Edward go to his mom's side in the kitchen. They speak softly to each other for a moment, and then she gets on her tiptoes to hug him. He lets her cling to his neck, whispering in his ear, while he rubs her back lightly, and it's about the sweetest thing ever.

Mom's cool with my staying for dinner. Apparently, she met Esme at the Thriftway last month and thinks she's lovely. I guess they didn't discuss kids because she didn't realize Esme was my roller rink hottie's mom.

Small world.

Well, small town anyway.

The front door opens as I stuff my phone back into my bag.

"Es, whose big rust bucket is that in the drivew—" The blond-haired man stops short when he sees me with a hand over my mouth, trying to stifle my laughter. "Oh. Hello." He grins. "Sorry. Your rust bucket?"

I nod, grinning back at him and raising my hand in greeting. "Hi. I'm Bella."

His eyes widen slightly. "Ohhhh. _Oh_. Bella. Okay. Hi. I'm Edward's dad. Carlisle. Nice to meet you," he says, nodding.

Oh, man. He's almost as cute as Edward. "Nice to meet you too."

"Are those enchiladas I smell?"

I nod, still giggling lightly.

"Ahh, Edward's favorite. Makes sense. Are you staying?"

"Carlisle?" Esme says, coming around the corner from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "Hi, honey. How was the afternoon? Did the office survive without me?"

It's then I realize I disrupted this family's entire day, and the guilt I'd pushed away earlier in favor of determination comes rushing back, filling me up to the brim.

"Oh. Yeah, fine. No worries," he replies to her. "Edward's fine?" His eyes cut to me briefly, and I don't think he meant to do it, but it still feels like a punch to the gut.

Esme smiles, and I relax a little bit. "Yes. Just perfect. He's helping me with dinner."

"Oh," I interject. "Is there anything _I_ can do to help? I'm kind of a disaster in the kitchen, but I'd love to help if I can."

"Of course you can, sweetheart. I was just about to mix up some pico de gallo. I'll show you what to do."

Carlisle smiles at me, and the guilt gives way to warm relief. I can't stand the thought of Edward's parents not liking me.

When I walk into the kitchen, Edward is happily humming while assembling enchiladas and stirring sauce, and I'm loving learning all these new things about him. Stepping up next to him, I ask, "You like to cook?"

His head ducks as he sprinkles shredded cheese onto a tortilla, adding shredded chicken next. "Yes."

"He's been helping me ever since he was five," Esme says, re-entering the kitchen and going to the refrigerator to gather ingredients for the pico de gallo. "Here you go, Bella. Just chop this stuff up pretty small, and I'll tell you what to do from there, okay?" She hands me a knife, and I gulp.

"Um. Okay. Big scary knife. No problem."

She chuckles at me. "Just keep your fingers out of the way, and you'll be fine."

"Right. No chopping off fingers. Got it."

Edward stops stirring at the stove and looks over to me with wide, fearful eyes. Just then, Esme laughs again, and he glances at her, his worry dissovling into soft laughter as well.

I mock-scowl at him. "Alright, Chuckles. That's enough out of you. You have the easy jobs over there."

His cheeks pink up, and he says, "I didn't mean to upset you. We can trade if you want."

"Oh, Edward. I was just joking with you. You didn't upset me. And I'll be fine. I'd probably ruin the sauce, and then we'd have to order pizza, and… No. I'll be fine." I wave the knife at him to demonstrate just how fine I am, and it slips right out of my hand, landing on the wooden cutting board with a thunk, sending vegetables flying. "Oh, fu— I mean, oops."

"Okay, why don't you go ahead and set the table, Bella?" Esme says, ushering me away from the cutting board and death-knife.

"Right. Sorry. Disaster, remember?" I give her a sheepish smile.

"It's okay. I'll show you where everything is."

* * *

After a delicious dinner where Edward and I blushed and smiled at each other a lot and Carlisle and Esme pretended not to notice, Edward walks me out to my truck.

"So I'll see you tomorrow at lunch?" I ask him.

"Yes."

I sigh as his fingers play with mine. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Bella. Can I kiss you again?"

"Please do."

His lips come down on mine, and it's sweet and soft and _him_. One day, I hope to unlock a wilder side of him, but for now, this is just perfect.

Sighing again, I finally pull away to climb into my truck. Our hands are still intertwined, and I let my arms stretch out as far as they can go before releasing him. "Do you have your cell phone in your pocket?"

"Yes," he responds, fishing it out.

"I figure since you're my fucking boyfriend, we should probably have each other's numbers." I wink at him, and he smiles and nods.

"Definitely. Yes."

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! Have a wonderful holiday, and I'll see you in a few days! xoxo**


	10. Ground

**She's baaaaaaaaaack! Lellabeth is back from her trip and has internet access again. Woot! So here is chapter 10. :D**

**Thank you all so very much for reading and reviewing! I've been writing when I can, so I haven't been able to get to all the replies. If you have a specific question that I missed, please feel free to PM me.**

**Huge thanks to Twilly, Sophiacorgi, Sulliedsoles, and BlueIsSoul!**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 10 - Ground**

My phone buzzes a few times before I even get home, and I check it as soon as I pull into my driveway.

**_I really like kissing you, Bella. ~E_**

**_And touching your boobs. ~E_**

**_Have a good night. See you tomorrow. ~E_**

Giggling, I type out a reply.

**I really like kissing you too. And when you touch my boobs. ;) See you tomorrow. Sweet dreams. ~B**

_God_, I just love him.

I mean…

Not like _that._

Yet.

Overwhelming warmth takes root in my chest at the thought of falling in love with Edward. Or more specifically, _him_ falling in love with _me _because I already know I'm going to fall for him. It's only a matter of time.

I wait in my truck a few more minutes for a reply, but it doesn't come. Sighing, I grab my backpack and walk on air into my house.

"What's with you? Finally castrate Newton?" Emmett asks.

I snort. "I wish."

"What's with all the…" he asks, waving a finger at my face, "happiness eating your face?"

"I'm always happy."

Emmett turns his head away so he can side-eye me. "Not _this_ happy. I know you ended up tracking down that Edward kid. So, I'm guessing things went well?"

I nod. "Very well. In fact, he's my new boyfriend." My smile is huge and cheesy, and I don't give a rat's ass. Emmett can make fun of me all he wants. Nothing can pop this bubble of happiness.

"_Who's_ your new boyfriend?"

_Shit. _Spoke too soon.

Dad pops open a can of beer and settles into his recliner, looking over at me with a menacing mustache twitch. "You know we need to meet any boy you're dating, Bells."

Heaving a dramatic sigh, I reply, "I know, Dad. It just happened today. I promise I'll bring Edward over as soon as I can, okay?"

"Edward, huh?" he grunts. "Well, we'll just see about this _Edward_."

"Charlie," Mom hisses from the doorway as she passes with a basket full of laundry. "Be nice."

"Yeah. Be nice," I reiterate. "Edward is very sweet. He's nothing like Brady, okay?"

"Well, we all thought Brady was sweet at first, too." His brows are high on his forehead and smug as all hell.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't remind me."

"That ass-beating I offered is still on the table. Just sayin'," my brother pipes up from the couch.

"I know, Em." I pat his knee and sit down next to him. "I know."

* * *

The next morning, I step outside to leave for school, and my heart does a backflip, landing with a thunk into my stomach. It then seems to begin swimming around in there, and a huge smile overtakes my face.

Standing against his car in a dark green sweater and perfectly-fitting jeans is… my boyfriend.

_God._

Edward is my fucking boyfriend.

Walking toward him, I notice his eyes are glued to the several inches of bare thigh visible between my boots and skirt, and I smirk. "Hey."

He starts and brings his eyes to mine, cheeks flushed. "Hi, Bella."

I give him a knowing smile. "What are you doing here? Did you come to pick me up?"

"Yes."

"Oh, you didn't have to do that." My head-tilt and girly giggle completely contradict my words. I mean, I'm practically swooning here.

"I looked it up online. This is what boyfriends do," he says, looking at my breasts and then my legs again. "They pick their girlfriends up for school. They kiss them hello and sometimes bring flowers. I didn't bring any flowers, but…" He trails off and leans forward to lay a light kiss on my lips, and oh, yes, I am a puddle at his feet.

"That was really sweet of you, Edward." His eyes hold mine for more than the customary second, and I nearly faint right there. When his gaze moves to the side a bit, I find my voice again. "How did you know where I live?"

"Your house is on my way to the rink, and I've seen your truck parked outside on several occasions. It's quite noticeable."

"If by noticeable, you mean it sticks out like a sore thumb, you're damn right about that," Emmett says, walking up behind me.

Turning toward him, I bite back, "You shut your fucking mouth about Big Red. She hauls your ass around just fine, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, well. Hopefully not for much longer. What's up, Edward?"

Edward shifts nervously on his feet. "I um, came to give Bella a ride to school. I'm her boyfriend now, so…"

"So I heard. Good luck with this one. She's a handful."

I punch him in the arm.

"See?"

"Oh, shut it."

"But seriously, man. I'm happy for you guys. Everything cool with us?"

Edward seems to force himself to meet Emmett's eyes for a brief moment. "Yes. It was just a misunderstanding."

Emmett nods and sticks his hand out. This time, Edward shakes it, and just like that, everything is copasetic between them.

Until Emmett opens his mouth again.

"Good. Now, let's get one more thing out of the way, and you and me will get along just fine."

_Oh, shit._

Edward's nervous eyes dart back and forth between Emmett's face and the keys in his own hand. "Um, okay."

"You hurt my sister, and I will pound your ass into the ground. Got it?"

Edward's hands shift so he can glance at the ground.

"_Emmett!_" I picture myself jumping on his back and strangling him with his backpack strap.

"What? You're my baby sister. It's my job to protect you."

I roll my eyes. Hard. "I'm only two minutes younger than you, jerkwad. And you don't have to protect me from Edward. _God. _Here." I thrust my keys at him. "Just take my truck, and go to school. I'll see you in English." Giving him one last scowl for good measure, I turn back to Edward.

Edward, who's shaking.

Great.

"Fuck me. I'm so sorry, Edward. He's just being protective of me. He doesn't mean that. I've been hurt before, and I haven't let him pound _anyone's_ ass into the ground."

He gulps. "It's okay, Bella. I'm okay. I won't hurt you, okay?"

Stepping closer to him, I slide my arms around his neck and pull him to me. "I know you won't, Edward. I know."

My touch seems to calm him, and he leans his head on my shoulder as I scratch lightly at the shorter hairs on his neck. I shoot another angry look at Emmett as he backs out of the driveway in my truck, and he mouths, "sorry," but I'm still pissed. He knows Edward is different. He doesn't know about the bullying and stuff yet, but he can't just _say_ shit like that.

"Let's get to school. We don't want to be late," I murmur to Edward.

He seems to realize where he is and what he's supposed to be doing, jumping to attention and opening my car door after releasing me. "Right. I made sure to leave fifteen minutes early so we'd have plenty of time."

"Thank you." I slide into his extremely clean car and inhale deeply. It smells like him—that perfect soap-and-fabric-softener, clean-boy smell.

Sighing happily, I buckle my seatbelt as Edward folds his long body into the driver's seat.

I don't know how people at school will react to us as a couple, but I really couldn't care less. All I care about is making this boy happy.

"Are you ready to go?" he asks.

His hands are at ten and two, otherwise I'd like to hold one. Instead, I smile and slide my hand onto his thigh. "Yes."

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading! Again, I hope you all have an amazing holiday with family and friends!**

**Be sure to check out some of the wonderful Christmas stories out there:**

**The Naughty Elf by twilly**

**The Brightest Star by Chocaholic123**

**Do Over by TKegl**

**In Every Life (A Little Snow Must Fall) by cosmogirl7481**

**Santa And The Bearded Elf by MrsK81**

**Gate 19 by iambeagle**

**Twelve Days of Christmas by twilover76**

**Belong To Me by Edward's Eternal**

**Christmas Magic by JenRar**

**Forgive me if I've forgotten any. I haven't read every Christmas fic out there, but it's such a wonderful gift from these talented authors this time of year. Check them out, and leave them some love!**


	11. GPS

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LELLABETH! I hope you have a fantabulous day filled with pretty words and even prettier boys (and copious amounts of Robp0rn).**

**Thank you all for reading and reviewing! It means so, so much to me. You have no idea.**

**Ginormous thanks to Sophiacorgi, Twilly, BlueIsSoul, and Sulliedsoles**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

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**Chapter 11 - GPS**

Stepping out of Edward's car, I shoulder my bag as he comes around to the passenger side. He looks unsure, and I don't like that one bit, so I smile at him and slip my hand into his, entwining our fingers. Edward's shoulders instantly lose some of their stiffness, and he smiles back at me.

"Is it all right if I kiss you at school, Bella?"

My smile widens, and my head tilts back in invitation as I step closer. "Yes."

Leaning down, he ghosts his lips over mine, and I feel it all the way down to my toes. My lips mold to his as I press my body closer, one hand sliding up his chest and over his shoulder. I get lost in him for a minute, closing my fingers around the hair at the back of his head. Edward sucks my bottom lip into his mouth, pulling a low moan from me.

When I feel his erection pressed against my stomach, I realize where we are and that we need to cool it. Like, now.

Placing my hand on his chest, I push him back gently, and his face flushes scarlet, his eyes glancing over my shoulder and then to my mouth and back.

Feeling the need to reassure him, I smile and lick my lips. "Mmm. Grower indeed."

Edward's eyes fly to mine, pinning me in place. And then he laughs. A full-on, eye-corner-crinkling, head-thrown-back laugh, and if I can make him do that every day, I'll be one happy girl.

Our hands find each other again, and we head into the lions' den.

Heads turn. Mouths gape.

I don't give a flying fuck.

Nothing can wipe the smile off my face.

"You're _dating_ him?"

Well, maybe _that_. Jessica's screeching causes my lips to twist into a scowl, but only because I can't believe what a mega-bitch she's turned into. Especially since she's started dating Newton.

Turning toward her, I raise my eyebrows in challenge. "Jealous?"

She scoffs. "As if."

"Well, you should be." My fingers crawl up Edward's sweater-clad chest, and I look up adoringly at his gorgeous face. He watches the movement before his eyes dart to my face for a second and then to Jessica. "I bet little Mikey couldn't find your G-spot even if he had a map _and_ a GPS," I finish, looking back to her just as her face turns a brilliant red. I laugh. "Aww. Sorry. Guess I hit the nail on the head. Too bad Mike can't." Flipping my hair at her, I turn to keep walking toward my locker, towing Edward along in my wake.

Guilt knocks around in my stomach for a second, but I shake it off. She's completely insensitive toward Edward, and maybe I shouldn't have stooped to her level, but I couldn't just let her keep running her stupid mouth now, could I?

And I probably shouldn't have implied that Edward and I have done a _lot_ more than we actually have, but—

"Bella, where _is_ Jessica's G-spot?" Edward asks quietly, interrupting my thoughts once we're stopped at my locker. "Do you have one too? Where is it? I'm excellent at geocaching. If you give me the coordinates—"

Giggling, I raise up on my tip-toes and peck him on the lips. "We'll talk about it later. Class starts in five."

"Okay." He lays a soft kiss on my forehead before walking off to his locker, and I let out a dreamy sigh.

"You've got it bad," Angela says, meeting me to head to our economics class.

"I totally do." We both giggle. "He's just so…" I sigh again. "Perfect."

"Isn't the no eye contact thing weird, though? Like when you're kissing and stuff?"

"Well, our eyes are closed during the kissing," I reply with an exaggerated eyebrow waggle.

Angela laughs. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah. I think he's getting more comfortable with me. I'm sure it'll take time, but it's all good. It just makes those times when he _does_ look in my eyes all the more special."

She smiles at me. "Well, I think you two are great together. I'm happy for you."

Nodding and beaming at her, I reply, "Thanks," as we step over the threshold into class.

* * *

At lunch, Tyler slides into the empty seat next to me, and I'm starting to think I'm cursed.

"Hey, Bella."

"Hey," I mumble, leaning away from him slightly.

"What're you doing this weekend?"

I glance to Edward, whose jaw is tight, but he's looking down at the table. "I don't know yet. Probably heading to the rink like usual."

"Well, I'm having a party Saturday night at my house. Parents are going out of town." He flashes me a salacious grin. "You should come."

My return grin is somewhat mocking. "Sounds like fun. I'll talk to Edward about it and let you know."

Tyler's face falls. "Oh. Uh…" He glances around our table. Ben and Angela are impassive. They're not huge into the social scene at our school, choosing instead to spend most of their time alone together.

I can't say I blame them.

"Yeah," Tyler says, finally catching on. "Okay. Let me know."

"Will do." I turn to Edward, effectively dismissing Tyler. His chair scrapes loudly across the floor as he leaves.

My hand goes to Edward's thigh, and I squeeze lightly. "Don't worry about him," I say into his ear. "He used to ask me out a lot, but I've never dated him, and I have zero interest. Okay?"

The corners of Edward's mouth lift, and he glances at me, relaxing his stiff posture. "Okay."

"Do you want to get together after school to… _study_?" Raising my eyebrows, I move my hand almost to his inner thigh.

"Yes," he whispers. "But can we kiss some more too?"

I bury my face into his shoulder and chuckle before looking up at him again. "Abso-fucking-lutely. Do you want to come to my house? Emmett will be at Dad's boat shop, working."

Edward's eyes meet mine, that killer dimple in his left cheek winking at me. "Yes."

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

**A few more Christmas fics :)**

**Christmas With The Cullens by BlueIsSoul**

**The Twelve Days of Christmas by pattyrose**

**Seven Days To Christmas by CullensTwiMistress (A Home For The Holidays is also written by her, and there's a link on her profile.)**

**The Red Coats by ericastwilight**

**The Christmas Present by beegurl13**


	12. Range Rover

**I can't thank you all enough for your lovely and thoughtful reviews! **

**Huge thanks to lellabeth for giving me the courage to write this! **

**Eternal thanks to Twilly, Sophiacorgi, Sulliedsoles, and BlueIsSoul for holding my hand, being my cheerleaders, and making these chapters better! I luff you all!**

**Please help me thank all the lovely ladies I mentioned above by checking out their stories and leaving them some love!**

**SM owns all thing Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

****For my lovely moms of those on the spectrum: I'm going to put in a citrusy warning system. I've been told some could be a little uncomfortable with lemons with this Edward because they relate him to their own (sometimes young) children. So green will indicate little to no citrus; yellow will indicate some citrus; orange will indicate moderate citrus; and red will indicate full-on lemon. If you guys decide this isn't necessary, just let me know. If you agree that it's necessary, please feel free to PM me, and I'll keep doing it without a mention. Thanks!**

**This chapter is greenish-yellow just at the beginning. :)**

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**Chapter 12 - Range Rover**

I have a new addiction: kissing Edward Cullen.

Not that I had many addictions before, but… This boy's lips do things to me that my ex-boyfriend, Brady, couldn't do with his whole body. I don't even understand it, but I can't get enough. Luckily, Edward can't either. Although his real addiction is a little south of my lips and about a 34B.

"Do you want me to take my shirt off?" I whisper against his lips.

He freezes. Takes his hands off my breasts. Nods. Eyes widen as I reach down for the hem of my shirt.

My bra is thin, and my nipples are already straining against the pink fabric from so much stimulation. Edward licks his lips, staring at them. He inhales deeply and lets out a long, steady breath before bringing his big hands back to engulf my average-sized breasts.

"The perfect handful," he says suddenly, making me smile and pull him back to my lips.

It's the third day he's driven me back and forth from school and the third day we're in my room, "studying".

It's been nice not to have to drop Emmett off at the boat store our dad owns with Uncle Harry, because I would inevitably get roped in to sticking around for _something_—helping Mom with the filing, fetching parts for Rosalie, their mechanic, gagging while Emmett flirts with Rosalie, you name it.

Yes, kissing Edward in my room is much, much nicer than all of that. Especially now that he knows what he's doing with his tongue.

My boy's a quick learner, which bodes very well for future "lessons".

My phone buzzes from inside my backpack, but I ignore it as Edward's tongue slides against mine, his fingers gently twisting my nipples through my bra.

A minute later, it buzzes again, and again, I ignore it, pressing myself closer to this beautiful boy and beginning to pull his sweater up his torso. Before I can get it off, though, a car door slams out front, and I freeze, knowing Dad must have finally realized Em's been driving my truck to the shop, and the jig is up. If it was Big Red, I would have heard her rumbling engine. Dad's Range Rover isn't quite so loud.

Emmett must have been texting me to warn me.

"_Shit_." I jump away from Edward, whose hands are still in the air, right where my tits just were. I'd laugh if I wasn't scared shitless right now. After standing and throwing my shirt back on, I haul him off my bed. "Let's go. Hurry. Grab your bag."

I'm leading him down the stairs just as Dad bursts through the door. "Isabella Marie Sw—" he bellows before seeing us and cutting himself off. There's no way he doesn't know where we just were. He squares his shoulders and cocks his head to the side, popping his neck like he does when he's trying to rein in his temper. And oh, shit. The mustache is bristling and everything. "Just what do you think you're doing here alone with my daughter, young man?"

Edward starts to speak, and I whirl on him. "Don't answer that." I turn back around and groan. "Can I talk to you outside, Dad?"

"No. He needs to answer me. And you." He points his index finger at me. "You know good and goddamn well you're not supposed to have a boy in your room when we're not home."

I roll my eyes. "Oh, please. You let Brady practically live here when we were together." Edward squeezes my hand, and I turn to him, realizing I haven't told him about Brady yet. I told him I'd been hurt before, but not the specifics. "I'll tell you later," I whisper.

"That was different," Dad says. "We knew and trusted him." At my incredulous look, he adds in a mumble, "...at the time."

"Okay, I know I broke the rules, and I'm sorry. But can we _please_ talk outside for a minute?"

Dad huffs out a breath. "Fine." But before he turns to go, he points two fingers at his eyes and then jabs them toward Edward, who recoils at the gesture.

Rolling my eyes at Dad's back as he retreats to the porch, I finish walking down the stairs and turn back to Edward. "I'll be right back. Do you want to watch TV or something? I shouldn't be long."

Concerned green eyes pin me to the wall for a moment. "Is it going to be all right?"

Stroking his cheek, I answer, "Yes. Don't worry."

His eyes close, and he releases a heavy breath. My dad probably scared the fuck out of him. Poor guy. "Okay, I'll just sit at the table and start on my calculus homework."

"Brainiac," I tease.

He blushes. "I do enjoy math. I could help you with your pre-calculus homework later if you'd like."

"Let's just get you out of here with your balls still attached to your body, and we'll go from there, okay?"

Gulping, Edward's hand instinctively moves to cover his crotch, and his eyes meet mine again, wide with fear.

"Shit. Sorry. It won't be that bad. Promise. Everything'll be fine." I guide him to the table and kiss his cheek. "Sit. Do your genius math, and I'll be back in a few."

Stepping through the front door, I realize I've been doing things backwards a lot lately. I should have told my parents more about Edward before we ran the risk of them meeting like this.

"Did Mom stay at the shop?"

Dad opens his mouth, but my question is answered when Big Red comes barreling into the driveway. Mom and Emmett jump out, most likely here to act as a buffer because they know Dad is pissed at me. Not that he'd ever hurt me or anything, but Mom is a lot more on the reasonable side when it comes to boys.

"Charlie," Mom says with warning in her tone.

"No, Renee. She's been having this boy in her room while we're not here, and we haven't even met him yet. It's completely unacceptable. She's only been dating him for _three days_, and her shirt's inside out, for Christ's sake!"

Glancing down, I notice that, sure enough, I put my fucking shirt back on inside out. _Shit. _I cross my arms over my chest. "We've known each other almost all summer, Dad. Just because we weren't dating before, doesn't mean we weren't talking and getting to know each other. And all we've done is kiss, really, so don't make it seem like I'm jumping into bed with him or he's taking advantage of me, because that's _not_ what's happening. He would never do that. If anything, _I'd_ be the one—" I cut myself off abruptly before my word vomit gets me into even bigger trouble.

"You'd be the one _what_?" Dad asks with narrowed eyes.

"Nothing." I wave my hand like that'll erase the last twenty seconds. "I'm just saying, Edward is… different. He's not going to push me to do anything I'm not ready for, okay? So please don't worry about that."

Eyes narrowing even more, he asks, "Different how?" His eyes widen. "Oh, God. He's already got a kid or something, doesn't he? Or wait. Drugs. He's on drugs, right? How could you do this, Bells? Is he even in high school?"

"Oh, my _God._ Would you stop? It's nothing like that. And yes, he's a senior, like me. He's a year older, though, so make sure to freak out about that," I finish with an epic eyeroll.

"Don't sass me, young lady."

"Well, you're being completely unreasonable. I get that Brady broke your trust. Hell, he broke _my_ trust long before that. But Edward is the sweetest guy ever, okay? Seriously. He's _nothing_ like Brady. And what I mean by him being different is that he has Asperger's, so social situations are uncomfortable for him. I guess I was avoiding putting him through that with you guys until I thought he could handle it."

Dad doesn't have a response, and Emmett clears his throat. "I'm just gonna…" He points to the door and heads inside, and I hope he can help keep Edward calm. Thankfully, Edward's more comfortable around him now. Once I explained some things to Emmett, he apologized to Edward for threatening him, and they've been getting along fine the last couple days.

We also figured out Edward thought Emmett was talking about him _physically_ hurting me, so we explained that he was talking about hurting me emotionally as well. Edward again swore he would never intentionally do that, and I believed him, returning that promise to him.

"Charlie," Mom says, stepping over to Dad. "We've got to trust Bella to make the right decisions for herself. She's almost eighteen years old. We've raised our children well, and they're smart." She shoots me a warm smile and then turns back to Dad, working her magic on him. "I know she's your baby girl, and no guy could ever truly be good enough, but you need to trust her enough to choose for herself."

"I just…" Dad lets out a long sigh and looks back to me. "Your mother's right. I just don't want you to get hurt again, Bells. I hated seeing you like that." His eyes become glassy, and I rush into his arms, pressing against red flannel and inhaling familiar Old Spice.

"It'll be okay, Dad. I promise. Edward's a really good guy."

"I sure hope so, Bells." He rubs my back.

I sniffle. "Thanks for looking out for me."

Gruffly clearing his throat, Dad releases me from his arms. "That's my job. Wouldn't trade it." We share a smile, and Mom rubs his shoulder lovingly, proud that he saw reason and backed off. "Now… Do we get to meet this oh, so wonderful Edward?" Dad asks.

"You don't have to get back to the dealership?"

"Nice try. Harry's got it covered."

_Damn._

"Okay. But please be nice."

"Always am."

I level him with a disbelieving look. "Uh-huh. Right."

"C'mon, kid. Give your old man some credit. Let's go."

The three of us file inside and see Emmett sitting at the table with Edward, both of them quietly working on homework. Upon noticing us, Edward bolts up out of his chair, sending it flying backwards with a crash. Mom and I gasp, and Edward turns about ten shades of red, hands balled into fists and eyes glaring at the chair.

"It's o—" Before I can get the "kay" out, he startles me by rushing toward us and out the door, running to his car and driving away. We all gape at the open front door for a second, but I'm the first to recover, understanding his need to retreat. "So, uh…" I shrug and give Mom and Dad a sheepish smile. "That was my boyfriend."

* * *

**You'll have to wait a little longer for the G-spot conversation, but ... it's coming. ;) Thank you so much for reading!**


	13. Vocabulary

**Okay, so the consensus is no warnings needed since the fic is rated M. I would say from here on out, just expect some citrus here and there. If you need to skim or flounce, no hard feelings. :))**

**Endless thanks to BlueIsSoul, Sulliedsoles, Sophiacorgi, and Twilly for being amazeballs. Mwah!**

**More endless thanks to all of you for reading and taking the time to review. I wish SO much that I had time to reply to all of you. It's such an amazing gift of encouragement you're giving me, and I appreciate it so very much.**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

* * *

After explaining to my parents that Edward is painfully shy and hoping they'll cut him some slack, I gather his books and backpack and drive to his house.

Finding him in his treehouse isn't surprising. "Hey, you okay?"

"No." His voice breaks, and it just about breaks my heart.

"Everything's okay, Edward." I move closer to him and rub the back of his neck, hoping to relax his tense posture. "I brought your stuff. It's in my truck."

"Okay. Just leave it on the porch." He sniffles. "I guess you can go now."

Pain stabs at my chest. "Why?"

"You should be with someone normal, Bella. Other people think I'm strange. I... Your parents aren't going to like me. I shouldn't have tried to be your boyfriend. I can't be normal." His fist pounds his thigh as he talks until I cover and still it with my hand.

"Okay, that's enough of that shit. What the fuck is normal anyway? So you got embarrassed and left. _That's_ pretty normal." His eyes flash to mine, and I make sure to give him a warm smile. "And my parents are going to love you. You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because they'll see just how great you are once they get to know you." I thread my fingers through his. "Because you're important to me."

Edward's mouth tilts in a crooked smile that melts my insides. "You're important to me too, Bella."

This time, I get his sweater off long before any parents come home to interrupt us.

* * *

A few days later, we're back in the treehouse.

Needless to say, we didn't go to Tyler's party. No reason to subject ourselves to _that_ shitstorm.

Edward also hasn't made it back over to my house to meet my parents yet, but we're working on it.

Once we get settled on the floor, he cuts right to the chase, blurting out that he wants me to tell him about Brady. "I know I'm supposed to wait for you to tell me, but it's already been…" He checks his watch. "Ninety-four hours, and I couldn't even concentrate on healing for our Bastion of Twilight raid last night because his name kept repeating in my head. He used to be your boyfriend, but you obviously broke up with him. And I don't want you to break up with me. If I repeat his mistakes, you _will_, and I like being with you, and—"

I interrupt him to kiss the shit out of him first and then to ease his fears about my breaking up with him. It's just not going to happen.

"It's highly unlikely that you'd ever repeat Brady's fuck-ups, Edward."

"Will you tell me?"

Hands entwined, we sit side by side, thighs pressed together. I take a deep breath, and Edward's thumb strokes the back of my hand. "The short version is that he cheated on me. A lot, apparently."

"How long is the long version? We still have two hours and fourteen minutes until my parents are due home."

My teeth sink into my bottom lip, trying to quell the tears that spring to my eyes at the flood of memories. "Um…" My voice is shaky, and I _hate_ that my ex can still have this effect on me. "We started dating my sophomore year. He was a junior. Things were good. Great even. Or at least I thought they were." My gaze goes down to our hands. "He got drunk at a party about six months into our relationship and kissed another girl. Someone else told me about it. He denied it, and I chose to believe him." A tear slips out of each eye, and I bat them away. Edward stays quiet. "I heard things here and there and kept choosing to believe his lies. I was so blinded by what I thought was love."

"You loved him?"

I squeeze his hand. "I thought I did. Now, I'm not so sure."

"Why not?"

Leaning into his shoulder, I bring our joined hands to my lap, and he lays his head on top of mine. "Because I feel more for you than I ever did for him."

"More what?"

I have to pause and think about it because I've never had to explain my feelings to someone before. I don't want to use the word love yet, so I keep it simple but honest. "I'm happier when I'm with you than I was with him. Much happier."

Edward kisses the top of my head. "That makes _me_ happy."

"Good," I reply, bringing our hands up to kiss his knuckles. "Anyway, he went to visit his aunt and uncle in Florida during winter break last year. He slept with some random friend of his cousin's and got her pregnant." I heave a deep breath. "We broke up in a screaming match on my front porch. My dad came home just as Brady raised his hand like he was going to backhand me and hauled him back to his car. The whole thing was hard on my parents too, because they treated him like he was their second son. They never expected him to intentionally hurt me." Sniffling, I stroke the back of Edward's hand with my fingertips. "Brady and I didn't talk to each other the rest of the school year, and he moved to Florida after he graduated."

Edward squeezes my hand and says through gritted teeth, "Hitting is wrong. Specifically, a male should _never_ hit a female. I'm glad your dad was there in time to stop it."

"I was glad too."

We're quiet for a few minutes, and I reflect on that time of my life when I all but lost myself in my relationship with a liar. It was liberating to be free of him in the end.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"I think you're correct about my not repeating those mistakes. Your ex-boyfriend sounds like a complete imbecile."

I snort. "I can't disagree with you there."

"I don't understand why he'd want to do things with those other girls—touch them and kiss them. I only want to touch and kiss _you._"

It's so easy for him to make me smile. "I only want to touch and kiss you too."

He's quiet for another moment, and then he pulls away and faces me. My eyes lock on his because I don't get nearly enough time to stare into them. "The way you kiss me makes me feel like a real person, Bella."

My eyebrows draw together, and my head shakes as I lay my palm against his cheek. "You _are_ a real person, Edward."

He looks away again. "But you know as well as I do that most people don't treat me like one. Jessica talks about me like I'm not even there."

"Jessica's a cunt."

His eyes widen and swing back to my face.

"Sorry. But if the moniker fits…" I shrug.

Edward laughs.

"Yeah, I can use big words too, smarty-pants." I poke him in the side, earning a squirm and another chuckle.

"I see that."

"In fact, I think you're expanding my vocabulary." I climb onto his lap, straddling him.

His arms go around my waist. "I am?"

"Yes." My lips land on the warm skin of his neck. "I especially like this part of your epidermis." He moans as I suck there, and my hips involuntarily rock against him. "Mmm, and I think your… _phallus_ is uh, growing _exponentially_ as we speak."

"_Yes_." Edward's big hands glide up my back as my hips move against him again and keep right on moving, because the feeling is indescribable. He's rock hard now, and I'm so very wet for him.

"We should probably slow down," I pant against his skin. But my hips don't get the message and keep grinding on him like the hussies they are.

"I don't want to," he replies, shifting upward to meet me as much as he can while sitting on the hard floor of the treehouse.

"You don't think we're moving too fast?"

"No." It's groaned against my neck as I press and slide down his length. "You can keep moving just like that."

Giggling, I breathe out, "Okay," increasing the pressure. My arms are tight around his neck now for leverage as I work my clit up and down his rather impressive erection.

All I can think about is wanting him inside me, and the heat spikes low in my belly. My chin is on his shoulder, and I move to press my mouth against his neck again and whimper as the pressure builds.

A strained whisper of my name gusts into my hair, and I think he's close.

So am I.

It's been a long time since I've dry-humped, and holy _fuck_, is it hot.

Edward's fingertips curl and dig into my back, and I release a loud moan as the peaking pleasure finally crests. Drawing my orgasm out, I continue moving against him, shuddering as each aftershock rolls through me.

His arms wind around me and tighten as he begins thrusting upward in short bursts.

"_Edward_," I cry out. "Fuck, _yes_."

If he lasts much longer, I think I might come again.

Just then, Edward's hips jerk against me in a few more choppy thrusts, and his head tips back, his beautiful face scrunching up as he finds his release with a sexy groan.

"Okay," I breathe out and kiss just under his ear. "We're going to be doing _that_... a _lot_." Laughing softly, I stroke his hair as he comes down. I know it's way too soon for us to actually have sex. Stealing his virtue a week into our relationship seems a little skeevy, but _God_. I have a feeling it's going to be epic when it does happen.

Moving to rest his head against me, he pants against my chest, finally catching his breath long enough to murmur, "Yes."

* * *

**Okay, I posted today so I could get you guys off the cliffie at the end of 12, but I need to spend a few days building up a reserve again so we don't have super long (relatively speaking, lol) waits between chapters. **

**Thank you so much for reading! I luff you all!**


	14. Birthday Sex

**Happy New Year! Thank you all so much for reading and following along with this Edward and Bella. And for giving me such thoughtful and lovely reviews... I'll never be able to say thank you enough.**

**Endless thanks to Sulliedsoles, Twilly, Sophiacorgi, and BlueIsSoul for being wonderful. And to lellabeth just for being her.**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 14 - Birthday Sex**

I was right about one thing… Okay, two things.

One, Edward and I are _avid_ dry-humpers. Once the kissing starts, it doesn't take long until we're rubbing up against each other like, well… like the horny teenagers we are. That poor boy has jizzed in his pants more times than I can count, and I sincerely hope he does his own laundry.

The second, and I guess more important thing, is that my parents love Edward. _Love. Him._

The first time I got him to come to my house for dinner, he barely got any words out. But since then, he's been able to relax more when he's over. He's still rather shy around Mom and Dad, but he's unfailingly polite, even if a little awkward at times. Comes with the territory, and they accept his idiosyncrasies with patience, making me proud to be their daughter.

At my gentle urging, Edward's even offered to help Mom cook a few times. And since neither Emmett nor I have ever shown any interest in cooking, she fawns all over him. It's actually embarrassing, but whatever. They both seem to enjoy it. They mostly work in silence but sometimes have quiet conversations while I sit at the kitchen table and do homework.

Dad and Edward have almost nothing in common. Dad's not a gamer and doesn't have a fucking clue what geocaching is (much to Edward's dismay). Edward doesn't know much about fishing, although his dad took him and Jasper a few times when they were kids.

Dad's decided that when baseball season starts, that's when they'll have something to bond over. When Edward was talking about his brother one night at dinner, he told us Jasper played in high school and now plays for UDub. Edward enjoys the statistical aspect of the game the most, and Charlie can respect that.

Just the fact that Dad _wants_ to bond with Edward makes me incredibly happy.

* * *

It's the beginning of November, and Emmett's and my eighteenth birthday party is this weekend. I was hoping for low-key, but of-fucking-course, my asshat brother had to go and invite the entire school. He says it'll be fine. No one's going to mess with Edward if he's around. Plus, he's been helping Edward with some weight-lifting and kickboxing whenever I go hang out with Angela or go help at the boat shop. He says Edward is getting stronger and more importantly, more confident in his ability to take care of himself… _and _me.

Edward said he wants to be able to protect me so Emmett doesn't have to anymore.

Of course I _awwwww'd_ over that but told him it wasn't necessary. I still encouraged it in the end, though, because if Edward has any more trouble with bullies, I'd want him to have the option of defending himself. His parents were a little wary at first, but they decided he should do what makes him feel comfortable. Besides, he's eighteen and doesn't really need their permission, but he respects their opinion and definitely takes it into account most of the time.

He hasn't really built up any extra muscle, but he's definitely getting more solid. And the sweaters… Oh, dear God, the sweaters.

Today, it's a navy blue v-neck ribbed number, and Lord, help me.

"Edward, you're seriously killing me with these sweaters." We're sitting on his bed, and my hands roam up his chest.

He glances down. "I can stop wearing them if you'd prefer."

"No!" He jumps at my outburst. "I mean, _God. _No. Please. They're just so sexy on you. It's all I can do not to jump you every morning when you pick me up for school with your damp hair and your dark jeans and…" I'm pretty sure my eyes glaze over and a little drool escapes as I trail off.

"Bella?" He waves his hand in front of my face.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry. Okay, so, the G-spot. Right." I've been putting this conversation off for like, ever, because it's hard enough to explain to _anyone_, really. But to be explaining it to the guy you want to eventually _find_ it is, well… That's a whole other level of strange. "You swear you never googled it?"

"No. You asked me not to, so I didn't. I just don't understand how Mike wouldn't be able to find it with a map _and_ a GPS. Is he really that incompetent?"

"Well… Okay. It's not an actual place that can be found that way. I was making a crude joke at Mike's expense to embarrass Jessica."

"Because Jessica's a cunt," he says with a nod.

My smile is proud. "Right. So, it _is_ a place I'll want you to find someday, but not until we're… _intimate._" I level wide eyes at him, hoping he'll piece things together. Watching his eyebrows furrow and his head shake leads me to believe that was wishful thinking.

Edward's green eyes finally meet mine. "Intimate?"

Nodding, I reply, "_More_ intimate than we are now. My G-spot is…" Releasing a heavy breath, I motion toward my crotch. "..._inside_ me."

His eyes dip down my body, and the curiosity that burns in them makes me squirm as heat flashes through me. "Inside you?" he whispers almost reverently.

"Yes," I whisper back, clenching in the very place at which he's staring.

"How will it feel when I find it inside you?"

_Oh, God. _"Um… it'll feel _insanely_ good. For me. And depending on what we're doing, it'll feel very good for you too."

His eyes come back up and burn into mine as he asks, "Will you help me find it?"

Dead. I'm dead. "_God,_ yes," I groan, crashing my lips into his. He leans forward until I'm suddenly under him on the bed, and he grinds his hard-on against me. Pulling back from his lips, I run my fingers through his hair as his eyes question me. "Not yet, though."

"Why not?" His hips circle against me, and I bite back a moan.

"Because your parents will be home any minute, for one thing, and we do _not_ want them to find me in here naked."

"Naked…" He ruts against me and brings his lips back to mine, and my whorish legs wrap around his waist.

"Shit. Edward, stop for a second." Pushing him gently, I raise up on my elbows as he moves back. "I just don't want to rush anything. We don't have to have sex for you to find it, but I want us both to be comfortable and ready for more."

He leans forward again, his hands landing on the bed so our torsos touch, and _God, _he smells good. "I'm ready. Show me."

Edward is an eager learner, to say the least. He's learned some of the things I like best and repeats them often. Kissing me deep and slow. Squeezing my breasts. Sucking on my nipples. Most especially kissing and nipping at the spot right behind my ear. Shivers rush over my entire body when he does that.

We're quite productive at "studying".

"I will." My hand slides up his chest and around his neck. "I'll show you. Soon. Just not today."

"Okay." Leaning forward, Edward kisses me sweetly. "Soon."

The furthest we've gone in getting naked is getting our shirts and my bra off. He was ecstatic to get unhindered access to the boobs, let me tell you. But that's it so far.

I waited a long time to have sex with my ex, Brady, but I was also a virgin then. Now that I know what it's like, I can't wait to feel that with Edward. And somehow knowing it will be even better has me _aching_ for him. Things could definitely escalate when he spends the night this weekend.

Mom and Dad are letting Emmett and I have the party at our lake house. Unsupervised.

They can be really cool when they want to be, and we _are_ eighteen, after all. They know we'll be drinking, but as long as no one drives, they're fine with it.

I just have to hope no one acts like an asshole and ruins our night.

* * *

"'Sup, Ed?" Emmett asks as we walk into the house the day of the party. He's loading the fridge with beer and mixers.

"Hi, Emmett." He gives my brother a brief but warm smile. I love that they get along so well, despite the fact that they're so completely different. Emmett can be a cocky ass, but he's a big ol' sweet teddy bear underneath.

"Who bought all this, Em?" I ask, walking up with Edward to lean on the bar and eyeing the spread of liquor bottles on the counter.

My brother blushes. Actually fucking blushes. I never thought I'd see the day.

"Rose."

My eyes widen, and I smirk. "Oh, reeeeally, now. Making some progress there, are we?"

He shrugs, staring at the beer cans he's transferring from their case. "Maybe."

"So… what? She was just waiting until you turned eighteen?"

I catch a huge smile before he buries his face back in the fridge. "Maybe."

"Oh, shit. Really? I was totally joking." Chuckling, I glance up at Edward, who's wearing a confused look. "Rose works at our dad's boat shop. She's 21. Emmett's been flirting with her for as long as she's worked there, but she always acted like he annoyed the shit out of her." I shrug. "I guess it was just that. An act."

"Is she his girlfriend now?" Edward asks, looking at Emmett.

"My guess would be yes, but looks like Em doesn't want to divulge that information."

"I can hear you guys, y'know. I'm _right here._"

"We know," Edward and I say in unison, turning to each other and laughing.

"Did you invite her tonight?" I ask.

"Yeah, but I don't know if a high school party is really her scene. She said she'd think about it."

"Aww, no birthday sex for you? Sad." I mock-pout at him, and he laughs.

"Who says I didn't _already_ have birthday sex?"

Gasping, I narrow my eyes at him like I'll be able to tell just by looking. Not that I want to _look_. Ew. "You did not."

Emmett shrugs his giant shoulders, smirking and still not looking at us.

"Jesus, Emmett. Dad's going to kill you if you run her off. She's the best mechanic they've ever had."

"Who says I'm gonna run her off?"

"Well, your love 'em and leave 'em reputation is _not_ exactly a secret, big brother."

He sighs. "She's… different, okay? You know I've liked her forever, and now that she's giving me the time of day, I have no plans to screw it up."

Impressed eyebrows climb my forehead. "Wow. Alrighty then. Good for you, dude. I hope it works out."

Finally, he looks at me, offering an almost-shy smile. "Thanks, sis."

Leading Edward down the hall to the bedroom we'll be in tonight, I can't stop smiling. I'm happy for Em. And for Rose. She's pretty kick-ass, and I actually think they'll be great together. Hopefully Mom and Dad will see it that way too.

Edward drops our bags and sits on the bed, looking lost in thought.

Sitting next to him, I take his hand. "What's on your mind?"

"Birthday sex," he blurts out.

A guffaw escapes me before I can contain it. "Wh— what?"

"It's _your_ birthday too."

I squeeze his hand. "Well, yes, but I have no expectations, Edward. And to be perfectly honest, I don't want our first time to happen because you feel obligated to give me birthday sex. I shouldn't have brought that up with Emmett. It's just kind of been this running joke the past couple years. He lost his virginity on our fifteenth birthday and like, _prides_ himself on having birthday sex every year. It's stupid, really."

Edward watches my hand stroke his forearm for a moment. "Have you had birthday sex before?"

_Oh, no._

My hand stills, and I stare at it too. "Yes."

Edward glances at me shyly. "With Brady?"

Wincing, I sigh because I really don't want to talk about Brady, and I especially don't want to talk about _sex_ with Brady. And I especially, _especially_ don't want to talk to _Edward_ about sex with Brady.

Edward shifts impatiently on the bed, so I figure I have to bite the bullet.

"Yes, with Brady. We were together for a long time." I start stroking his forearm again, probably to comfort both of us. "I gave my virginity to him because I thought I loved him, but it's definitely something I regret in a lot of ways."

"Have you had sex with anyone else?"

I squeeze my eyes shut and scrunch my nose up. I hate talking about this.

"Yes." Heaving a deep sigh, I turn toward Edward and wait for him to bring his eyes to mine, if even for just a moment. "You have to understand that I was always the good girl. I thought I did everything right. I dated the star quarterback. I gave him everything, and he just stomped all over it." Tears gather in my eyes. "I just wasn't the same person after all of that, and I didn't handle things well. As a 'fuck you' to him, I slept with a few of his friends." Tears fall because I'm not proud of myself. At all. "It was incredibly stupid of me. Emmett almost got into fist-fights with a bunch of his football buddies because they were talking about how slutty I was." Sniffling, I cover my face with both hands. "It was awful. _I_ was awful. I didn't want to tell you, but we swore we'd always be honest with each other. If you don't want to be with me anymore, I understand."

I keep my hands over my face, waiting for Edward to high-tail it away from me. I wouldn't blame him.

Warm hands wrap around my wrists and pry my hands away. Even warmer green eyes blink at me from the most handsome face I've ever seen in real life. "I still want to be with you, Bella."

My body sags in intense relief, and more tears fall.

"Don't cry." His thumbs wipe my tears away. "People handle things that happen to them in different ways." My eyes must question him because he looks off to the side and shrugs. "That's what my therapist said when I stopped talking after the incident with Chelsea."

"You're amazing, you know that?" Offering him a watery smile, I lay my palm on his cheek, my heart fluttering just like his eyelashes as they rest on his cheekbones.

"I think you're pretty amazing too, Bella."

I press closer to him, and he rests his forehead against mine. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to fall in love with you, Edward."

Our lips inch closer together, our hands finding each other's and grasping tight. "You are?"

"Yes."

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! xoxo**


	15. X-Ray Vision

**THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!**

**Gigantic thanks to BlueIsSoul, Sulliedsoles, Sophiacorgi, and Twilly for all of their invaluable help!**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 15 - X-Ray Vision**

After a pretty intense makeout session, only cut short because we remembered Emmett was here, Edward grabs his bag. "I need to unpack."

"Oh, you don't have to. We're only going to be here one night."

He shakes his head, unzipping his bag. "No. I need to. Everything will be wrinkled if I don't."

Do sweaters really wrinkle?

"Uh… Okay. Whatever floats your boat."

He's busy pulling everything out of his bag and lining the items up on the bed and distractedly responds, "I don't have a boat."

Silently chuckling, I step up behind him and hug him around the middle. "It's an expression. I just mean, if it makes you happy to unpack, then go for it." I lay a kiss in the middle of his back.

"What? Oh, right. An expression. I do remember hearing that one once or twice." One of his hands covers mine for a second, but then he goes back to his task. I squeeze him around the middle one more time and am just about to release him when he freezes. Peeking around him, I see he's holding a note in one hand and a strip of condoms in the other.

_Holy shit._

With wide eyes, I step to Edward's side, glancing up at his face. His eyes are fixed on the condoms, so I take a peek at the note.

_Son,_

_If you decide to have sex, remember what we talked about. You need to use a condom every time, the entire time. I've included a few in case you need them._

_Love,_

_Dad_

"A _few_?" I blurt out, startling Edward.

"I think this qualifies as several," he says, still blinking at the strip of six condoms in his hand.

"I don't think we'll be needing those tonight. Let's just put them back in your bag for right now."

He glances at me with a small smile. "Right. No birthday sex for you."

Winking at him, I reply, "Maybe next year."

His smile widens. "Yes. Next year."

* * *

I've prepared Edward as best I can for his first high school party. Obviously he knows it will be crowded, and unexpected things will happen, which he's not thrilled about.

His parents were worried when he told them he wanted to go to it, but he assured them he has a plan.

Edward always likes to have a plan, and his plan tonight is to stay close to me, which he will _never_ hear me complaining about. If he feels overwhelmed, we'll just go hang out in the bedroom or outside for a while. No big deal.

The deep purple sweater he's chosen to wear tonight offsets his hair and eyes in the most spectacular way, and I can't stop ogling him.

"_Fuck! Ow._" Note to self: don't stare at your boyfriend while cutting lime wedges.

Edward was helping Emmett move the couches around, but at my outburst, he's by my side in a millisecond, gently lifting my hand to inspect my wound. His thumb caresses my wrist, and I don't even think he realizes he does little things like that that make my heart flutter and flip. "You're bleeding. Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"I don't think so. It's not too deep. I just need to clean it and get a bandaid on it, I think." I wrap my hand in a kitchen towel as we walk toward the hall.

"Okay. Maybe I should take over in the kitchen for you. I forgot about your propensity to have mishaps with knives."

I poke him in the side with my good hand as we walk to the bathroom. "It's _your_ fault."

His eyes widen at me. "_My_ fault? How so?"

"You just look so fucking good tonight. I can't keep my eyes off of you, and I got distracted." I pinch his ass, and he jumps. "Oops. Guess I can't keep my hands off of you either." Shooting him a teasing grin, I run the rest of the way down the hall and into the bathroom that connects to the bedroom we'll be sharing tonight.

_God._

I still can't believe we'll be sharing a bedroom tonight. It feels… _epic._

Edward chases me, laughing his beautiful laugh. "I don't want to keep my hands off of you either." Said hands wrap around my hips, and I'm pushed into the counter, over six feet of gorgeous boy pressed against me.

No. Complaints.

Planting my good hand on the counter, I awkwardly lift myself up to sit. Edward is between my legs, and his hands move to my bare knees. My skirt is flowy, so my bits are covered, but his eyes are fixed on that area anyway.

"Do you have some x-ray vision I don't know about?" I tease.

His eyes meet mine, his brow furrowed. "No. That's impossible."

Still smiling, I reply, "Okay. Just checking. There's some antiseptic and some bandaids in that cabinet if you want to grab them."

The first guests start arriving just as we emerge from the hallway after getting my finger bandaged.

My good friend, Lauren, who attends a different high school close by, comes in with her boyfriend, Chris. She's been spending all her time with him since they got back together, so I haven't seen her since the end of summer. We have one of those low maintenance friendships where we can go for a while not seeing or talking to each other and just pick up right where we left off.

"Hey, girl! Happy birthday!"

"Hey! I'm so glad you could come." I give her a hug. "You remember Edward from the rink?" I ask, placing my hand on Edward's back.

"Oh. Yeah, hey, Edward. How are you?"

"Um. Good."

"Cool," she says, gesturing to the cute blond guy beside her. "This is my boyfriend, Chris."

"Hi." Edward's hand comes out of his pocket to give a small wave. "I'm Bella's boyfriend."

Placing my hand in the middle of his chest, I beam up at him.

"Oh, wow," Lauren says. "How long have you guys been going out?"

"About two months now," I answer.

At the same time, Edward says, "Fifty-eight days," and I giggle.

"Yes. Exactly."

"That's so great!" She looks to Edward. "She had a crush on you for so long." Edward's eyes flash to me and then to Lauren. "I don't know how many times I had to listen to her go on and on about you. 'Oh, Edward's so cute. Edward's so dreamy. I just want to sit on his face.'" She hyena-laughs.

Gasping, I swat at her arm. "I never said that! Whore." I join in with her laughter.

"You want to sit on my face?" Edward asks quietly, leaning toward my ear. "I don't think that would be very comfortable for me. My oxygen supply would be cut off, and it would surely be uncomfortable for you as well."

"We'll just go get a drink," Lauren says with a wink at me.

I surreptitiously flip her off, and she cackles.

Rubbing Edward's chest lightly, I lean up to whisper in his ear. "It's actually a sexual thing. I would be naked or at least without underwear, and you would use your lips and tongue to uh… _pleasure_ me."

Pulling back, I watch Edward's Adam's apple bob on a swallow, and then he licks his lips, cutting wide green eyes to me. "Is that… really something you want?"

I peck his cheek softly. "Maybe someday. I'm in no hurry."

He nods. "Okay. I'd like to try that someday."

Not gonna lie. There is definite clenching going on. "I look forward to it." Lifting my eyebrows at him, I pull him behind me to the kitchen. "All right, hookers! What are we drinking?"

* * *

More and more people have been trickling in, and there's a pretty decent crowd now. The music is loud, and people are milling around, a few dancing here and there. I'm staying away from the people who I now know aren't true friends of mine. Being with Edward has opened my eyes in that regard. I always sort of ignored the rude or bitchy behavior of some of my "friends", but no more.

I've mostly been hanging out in the kitchen, with Edward behind me, his long arms wrapped around my middle. Catching up with Lauren has been great. She's one of my most favorite people in the world. She's sweet and hilarious, and Edward seems to be warming up to her as well. We've talked about going on double dates in the future, and I honestly can't wait.

About an hour into the party, Edward and I decide to take a little break from the mayhem and retreat to our bedroom. Thankfully, the sign on the door to 'KEEP THE FUCK OUT' is working so far.

"Are some of your friends sex workers?" He asks me once we settle on the bed.

"What?" I ask on a laugh. "Oh, the 'whore' and 'hooker' thing?"

He nods.

"No, it's just a nickname, I guess. Kind of a term of endearment amongst friends, which is weird now that I think about it." I shrug. "But it's just something we've always called each other. It's all in fun."

He smiles. "Okay."

Scooting closer on the bed, I snuggle into him. "Are you having a good time so far?"

"Yes."

"Good. Just let me know when you're ready to go back out. No rush."

Edward's warm hand smooths up and down my back. "You can go ahead. I think I'm going to stay in here for a little bit." His fingers play with the hem of my sweater before slipping underneath and touching my bare skin.

I shiver. "If you keep doing that, I might just stay in here with you."

"Okay," he says with an easy smile.

Chuckling at him, I stand and rest my hands on his shoulders. "I guess I should get back since it's my party and all, though. Just come find me when you're ready."

His eyes meet mine, and he's still smiling. "I will."

My legs are between his, and I lean into him even more, wrapping my arms around his neck and bringing our lips together. Running my fingers up into the back of his hair, I sigh into his mouth, and he moans into mine.

Before I know it, I'm climbing onto his lap and grinding against him. "God, what is _wrong_ with me?" I mumble against his lips.

"Nothing."

Burying my face in his neck, I smile against his skin and then lay a soft kiss there as his hands pull at my now still hips. "As much as I would love…" I kiss a line up his neck to the spot behind his ear. "...to continue this…" I suck his earlobe into my mouth. "...I _really_ don't think you want to come in your pants right now."

"I have a change of clothes," he says breathlessly, bucking his hips against me.

"Those are for tomorrow." I'm still wrapped around him so tight, and the pressure of his chest against my hard nipples is just too good. My hips start moving again of their own volition. "Dammit. Why are you so sexy?"

"I don't know."

Laughing softly, I finally find the will to pull away and crawl off his lap. Edward chases my lips, his arms still holding on to me. "There's lotion and tissues in the bathroom." I peck his lips.

"Okay." His eyebrows pull together in confusion, probably because he finds it weird that I'm listing the contents of the bathroom.

"Y'know. If you want to take care of your… _grower_." With a wink, I lean forward to kiss him one more time, a whine of protest leaving my own mouth when I pull myself away again. "Okay, okay. I'm going now. For real. I'll see you in a little bit?"

Edward's hands linger around my waist as I back up, finally falling away. He glances up at my face and then to my legs. "Yes."

* * *

The first person I see when I leave the bedroom is Jessica. She's just coming out of the bathroom toward the other end of the hall.

"Hi, Bella."

"Jessica."

"Um… Where's Edward?"

I cock an eyebrow at her. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just… Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Curiosity gets the better of me, not to mention the hope that she's morphed into a human being recently and wants to apologize. "Sure."

Stepping into the other bedroom at the end of the hall, I cross my arms over my chest and wait for her to start speaking.

She moves to sit on the edge of the bed. "So is this thing with you and Edward getting serious?"

"That's really none of your business, but it's not just a fling if that's what you're asking."

"I'm just asking as a friend, Bella. I'm concerned about you."

"_Concerned_ about me? Why the fuck are you concerned about me? Edward's great."

"I just feel like you're committing social suicide here. You used to be one of the most popular girls in school, and now it seems like all you care about is Edward, Edward, Edward." She rolls her stupid eyes, and I want to scratch them out. "He's cute and all, but seriously. What are you doing?"

Scoffing, I shake my head at her. "God. And to think I thought you were going to apologize for being such a heinous bitch to him."

Jessica's idiot mouth drops open. "Hey, I'm just looking out for you, okay? I mean, you go from dating the quarterback to _this_? Seriously? You obviously don't care about being popular anymore, which is just sad."

My eyes narrow at her. "You're fucking right I don't care about that shit anymore. What the fuck did dating Brady get me anyway? A fucking broken heart. That's what. You have no clue what the fuck you're talking about, so I suggest you keep your stupid fucking thoughts to yourself about me and my relationship with Edward." I turn to walk out but stop as my hand lands on the doorknob. "Oh, and you can kindly get the fuck out of my house."

* * *

**More party next chapter. Thank you so much for reading! xoxo**


	16. Surprise

**I apologize in advance for this long-ass A/N: So, I know I mentioned daily updates at one point, and yes, I was hoping to do that. But things haven't gone according to plan. I originally wanted to keep the chapters around the same length as the original flash, which was 500 words, but they've become increasingly longer. I've still had complaints that they're too short, but they're going to be as long or as short as I see fit. I don't put much stock in anonymous reviews when it's pointless bitching, but I'd like to clarify that I'm not doing anything "just to get reviews". I was so terrified to even write this fic that I never even contemplated that anyone besides a handful of people would read it. Reviews are motivating and much appreciated, yes, but they are not the reason behind this, or any fic of mine. This fic came about because my dear friend, lellabeth, fell in love with this Edward after reading the flash. It was her birthday, and I wanted to give her something she would truly enjoy. That's it. If you don't like it, there's this great little X in the top right corner, and POOF, it'll be gone from your screen. Amazing, right? Okay, I'll stop with the snarkiness. I was channeling this Bella there for a minute. ;) Love you all to pieces, and I appreciate your support so, SO very much!**

**All that said, this chapter is the longest yet.**

**Pssst: Some of you sweet mamas may want to skim toward the end. ;)**

**Twilly, Sophiacorgi, BlueIsSoul, and Sulliedsoles have my undying gratitude for always making these chapters better.**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 16 - Surprise**

I need a fucking drink.

_Fucking_ Jessica.

As I'm standing at the counter, mixing up a Captain and Diet Coke, I see Jessica tug on Mike's arm and whisper in his ear. His eyes cut to me, which makes me wonder how he knew right where I was.

Sleazy fucker.

Giving him my best bitch-brow apparently makes him decide it's best if they just leave.

Thank fuck.

I do _not _need any more drama tonight. I don't know who the fuck that bitch thinks she is, but I am absolutely fuming. Before I start in on my drink, I decide a shot of tequila is in order.

A warm hand palms my ass just as I'm slamming the shot glass down on the counter, and I smile, happy but a little shocked at Edward's forwardness.

"Hey, sexy."

Only it's not Edward.

"If you don't remove your hand from my ass in the next _nano_-second, you will motherfucking lose it," I say to Tyler through gritted teeth.

"Aw, c'mon, baby. Don't be like that. I never did get a taste last year, and now that you ditched your little boy toy, you can be with a _real_ man."

My nostrils flare, and I blow a breath out of my nose before turning toward him, which thankfully makes his hand slide off my ass. Walking my fingers up his chest, I turn my bedroom eyes on. "A real man, huh?"

Tyler licks his lips. "That's right." He's drunk but not enough to be unaware of what he's doing.

As he leans in, I reach forward and grab his balls, squeezing until I hear him squeak. I speak lowly into his ear. "A _real_ man knows when to take a fucking hint. And a _real_ man doesn't touch what doesn't belong to him. Got it?"

He gives a choppy nod, gasping and sinking to his knees after I release him.

Tyler's never been as afraid of my brother as Mike is because he's almost as big as Emmett, but I know how to inflict pain. And I don't need a hundred extra pounds of muscle to do it.

Looking up, I see Edward step into the doorway, surveying the scene before him. No one else in the room seemed to notice anything, but now that Tyler's on the floor…

"Whoa, bro. You need a ride home?" one of the other football players, Alec, asks, coming over to us.

"Yeah. He does." I step around the boys and go right up to Edward.

"Is everything okay?" he asks.

"Yes. Tyler thought he could get handsy with me, but I think he's finally gotten the message to back the fuck off."

"Handsy?" His eyes narrow, and his jaw clenches as he looks over at Tyler being helped up by Alec, and holy fuck. Possessive Edward is _so_ hot.

Smoothing my hands over his shoulders, I try to bring his focus to me. "It's over now. Don't worry about it. He's gonna need to ice his balls down tonight. He'll remember not to touch what's yours."

Blazing green eyes focus back on me. "You're mine," he whispers.

"Yes."

"Where did he touch you?"

"It doesn't matter. It's not going to happen again, and I'm okay."

His nostrils flare as he sucks in a deep breath, exhaling noisily. "Okay."

The only way out of the kitchen is where we're standing. Tyler hangs off of Alec as he helps him out, both guys groaning as they get closer to us. Before I know what's happening, Edward's arm shoots out to stop them from passing through. "Don't touch her against her will ever again."

Tyler coughs and then groans again. "Yeah, man. I got it."

Edward's arm falls, and the boys continue out and to the front door.

"Well," I say. "That's four down. I'm quite the hostess tonight."

"What do you mean?"

Sliding my arms around his middle, I press against him. "I told Jessica to leave earlier, and she took Mike with her."

"Was she being a cunt again?"

I giggle. "Most definitely."

* * *

"Do you drink?" I ask Edward as I walk back over to retrieve my Captain and Diet Coke, which is, of course, all watered down now. After tossing it down the sink, I start making a fresh one. "Alcohol, I mean."

"I've tasted beer a couple times, but I didn't like it much."

"Yeah, I'm not big on beer either. Let me know if you want to try anything else. No pressure, though." Finishing my drink up, I smile at him. "And I'm not planning to get drunk or anything, just so you know. Maybe just a good buzz. I have plans for you later," I finish with an eyebrow lift.

"You do?" His eyes are excited. He loves plans.

I step closer to him. "Yes."

"What kind of plans?"

Running my index finger down his chest, I smirk at him. "You'll see."

"Like a surprise?"

I shrug. "Yeah."

He scowls a little. "I don't really like surprises."

Bouncing up on my tip-toes to peck his lips, I assure him, "This will be a really, really good surprise. I promise."

Edward flashes a crooked smile at me, that one dimple making an appearance. "Okay." He eyes my drink as I take a sip.

"Do you wanna try it?"

"Yes." He takes it from me, sips, and licks his lips. "Mmm."

"Good?"

"Yes."

Nodding, I grab a new glass. "I'll make you one."

* * *

Tipsy Edward is a trip. He's very forthcoming and quite talkative.

We mingle for a while, and he talks to people he's never talked to before with relative ease. The only thing is, the conversations are pretty one-sided like ours used to be when he was more nervous around me. They're still like that sometimes when he gets excited or worked up, but I find it cute. I'm not sure everyone else does.

There's some eye-rolling, which pisses me off, so I eventually steer him toward Ben so they can talk World of Warcraft or something.

Mid-conversation with Angela, something makes me look toward the door. My blood freezes in my veins and then rapidly comes to a boil.

Brady walks in like he owns the place. He's always done that. His confident swagger hasn't changed one bit. He still looks exactly the same. Dark hair. Blue eyes. Tall. Muscular build.

Meh.

Nothing compared to Edward.

Of course, Brady could be the best-looking guy on the planet, and I'd still look at him with disgust.

"What the hell is _he_ doing here," Angela says after presumably following my eye-line.

"I don't know, but this night has already been beyond ridiculous." I huff. "I didn't even know he was back in town." Tapping Edward on the shoulder, I whisper in his ear, "I'll be right back."

"Okay." He turns back to Ben. "The druid is just so diverse, and…"

I walk away, smiling at my boyfriend's cuteness, but then a scowl wipes it right off when I see Brady watching me wind through the crowd toward him.

"Happy birthday, Bella." He smirks.

"Don't."

He at least has the decency to look contrite, his smirk falling instantly. I look around for Emmett but don't see him anywhere. If he knew Brady was here, he'd probably go ballistic. "What the fuck are you doing here, Brady?"

He shoves his hands into his pockets. "I came to see you. I wanted to talk to you."

Crossing my arms over my chest, I glare at him. "And you thought my _birthday party_ was the right time to do that?" I shake my head. "We have absolutely nothing to talk about, and I'm not afraid to tell you to get the fuck out. I'm not the same girl I was when we dated."

"Ah, so you do remember. We had some good times, right?"

_The nerve… _"Are you kidding me with this? Are you fucking _high_? You've been gone for over five months, presumably taking care of some girl you got pregnant while you were with me, and you just come waltzing back in here and expect what? For me to fall all over you? For me to reminisce on our '_good times_'?" My air quotes are mocking, to say the least.

Brady runs a hand through his hair, mumbling, "I'm fucking this all up."

"No. You fucked everything up a _long_ time ago, asshole. Just go. You shouldn't be here."

"The baby wasn't mine," he blurts out.

"What?" I heard him. I'm just… _What?_

"Look, can we just talk in private for a minute?"

"_Why_?"

Just as he starts to answer, two warm arms wrap around me, my hair is pulled over one shoulder, and soft kisses are laid on my neck.

I close my eyes and smile, opening them to see a scowl on Brady's face.

"Who the hell is _this_ dickhead?"

My eyebrows shoot up in disbelief, and then my eyes narrow in anger. "Not that it's any of your business, but this _person_ is my boyfriend, and he treats me with respect, which is a hell of lot more than I can say for you." Oblivious it seems, Edward moves one hand to squeeze my breast through my top.

"Yeah, I can see he really respects you."

Ignoring Brady and gently moving Edward's arm back down to my waist, I glance back at him. "You okay?"

His eyes are closed, and he nods. "Just sleepy."

Turning fully in his arms, I loop mine around his neck and peck his full lips twice. "Do you wanna go wait for me in the bedroom? I won't be long." Brady huffs behind me.

"Yes."

"Okay, but don't fall asleep. Remember, you'll like my surprise."

"If you say so."

I giggle. "I do. Go. I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay." He leans down and kisses me once more before walking away.

Sighing, I watch his perfect ass under dark denim and can't wait to peel those jeans off of him.

Brady clears his throat dramatically.

Taking my time, I turn back to face him. "Oh, you're still here?"

He heaves a deep breath, clearly irritated, and I'm loving every second of it. He put me through hell. He deserves far worse than anything I've dished out so far.

"Well, it didn't take you long to move on from my friends."

"Ex_cuse_ me?"

"You heard me."

"Look here, you cocksucker. You slept with half the goddamn school while we were together, not to mention whatever girls you fucked around the country. I'm not going to stand here and listen to this bullshit from _you_ of all fucking people." We're attracting more and more onlookers by the second, but I can't hold this shit in. "I'm not proud of the way I handled things. I was free to sleep with whomever I wanted, but I did it for the wrong reasons, and I own that. But _you_. You weren't free. We were together, and you claimed to love me. Well, guess what, dipshit. You wouldn't know love if it shit right on your fucking face. _That_ guy," I say, pointing in the direction Edward went, "has shown me more love in the last two months than you did during the entire time we were together. And I love him more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. So whatever it is you're looking for by coming here and trying to ruin my party… You're not going to find it. And if I _ever_ see your douchey face again, with your smug little smirk, it'll be too. Fucking. Soon." Spinning on my heel, I all but stomp toward the hallway to the sound of my friends and classmates hooting and whistling, a few slow-clapping. It surprises me at first, but then a wide smile breaks out on my face.

Damn, I'm on a roll tonight. Telling people off never felt so good.

As soon as I walk into the bedroom, Edward looks up at me from the bed. I can't read the expression on his face, but it makes me nervous. "You love me?"

My chest seizes, and my palm flattens against where my heart races. "You heard me?"

"Yes."

I realize someone turned off the music, and I didn't even notice while I was ranting.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to find out that way."

"It's okay." He keeps his eyes on my face. "Is it true?"

"Yes." Looking down, I fidget with the hem of my skirt, feeling exposed.

Edward stands and steps right in front of me, pulling me to him. "I love you too, Bella. So much." His voice rumbles through his chest where my ear is pressed to it, his heart beating as fast as mine. "More than... drawing houses. More than my mom's enchiladas. More than my new Astral Cloud Serpent mount in WoW." I giggle, and he strokes a hand down my hair. "More than everything I've ever loved before."

"You do?" Tears sting my eyes, and I sniffle. "That much?"

His arms tighten around me. "Yes."

Sweet relief envelops my body, and I throw my arms around his neck, rising up on my tiptoes to kiss him like my life depends on it.

A soft knock on the door breaks us apart.

"Who is it?" I ask, dropping back down on my heels.

"It's Em. I'm sorry. I was out back on the phone with Rose. Angela told me what happened," he calls through the door. "I threw Brady out on his ass, and I figured you might be fed up and want some time to yourselves. So we're moving the party to Colin's house. His parents are in Seattle for the night."

I turn and open the door. "You know me too well. Thanks, Em. I really appreciate it." Stepping out, I let him give me one of his signature bear hugs until I feel like my eyes are going to pop out of their sockets.

"You okay, sis?"

I nod on his shoulder. "Yes. Thank you."

Setting me on my feet and stepping back, he slaps his hands against my upper arms once. "Alright, you two have fun. But don't do anything I wouldn't do." He winks and walks away, leaving me smiling.

"What wouldn't he do?" Edward asks as I close the door.

I snort. "Not much, actually."

"Hmm."

"I'm so glad everyone's leaving."

"Me too. It was okay, but I'd rather spend time alone with you."

"Ditto." I smile as he leans in and kisses me again. "Are you ready for your surprise?" I whisper against his lips.

"Yes."

Rubbing my palm over his growing erection through his jeans, I loop my other arm around his neck and pulling him in for a scorching kiss.

"Mmmph," he moans.

I start guiding him backwards toward the bed and pull away when the backs of his legs hit the side of it. Holding his loving gaze, I use both hands to unbutton the fly of his jeans. "Is this okay?"

"Yes," he says between panting breaths.

I slide my hands just inside the waistband of his boxer-briefs and send a silent thank-you to the big guy upstairs that my boyfriend doesn't wear tighty-whities. My hands move around to his bare ass, and I squeeze both cheeks, making him jump forward a little, his hard cock rubbing against my stomach. He grinds it into me as I bring my lips to his throat and suck at his pulse point.

"Bella," he says, sounding out of breath. He licks his lips before continuing. "Did you um… Did you change your mind about the birthday sex?"

I shake my head. "No, but I want to touch you. I want to make you come, but I want it to be on my hand or in my mouth."

Edward swallows hard and shakily responds, "Okay."

I chuckle. "Good surprise?"

"Yes."

Smiling, I push my hands down, taking his jeans and underwear with them to pool at his feet. He steps out of them and kicks them away. "Lay down for me." I tug his socks off once he's stretched out on the comforter. Running my hands up his shins and then his thighs, I climb onto the bed and settle between his legs. His dick is tucked up under the bottom of his sweater, and I push the garment up his torso. "Off, please."

Edward sits up, his stomach muscles bunching beautifully as he almost frantically pulls his sweater off over his head.

I lick my lips as I take in his naked body, long and graced all over with sinewy muscle. "Mmmm." Wrapping my hand around his hard-on, I give it a gentle squeeze, eliciting a strangled moan from him.

"Is it… okay?" he asks, glancing down his torso at himself in my hand.

My eyes focus on his face, and I smile as his gaze flicks up to me for a moment. "It's perfect."

I'm not even telling him what I think he wants to hear. His cock is the perfect size. Not too big. Not too small.

A hollow ache forms instantly. I can't wait to feel it fill me.

I notice some tension leave his body, and one corner of his mouth tilts upward. "Told you I was a grower."

Laughing, I reply, "You weren't kidding." Gripping the thick base, I look up at his face in time to see him lick his lips, staring at where my hand is wrapped around him. Smirking, I stroke him once, watching his eyes squeeze shut in pleasure as I swipe my thumb over the head, spreading his pre-cum around.

Bringing my gaze back down, I stare at the flushed head as my hand works him. His legs twitch as he moans and groans, fisting the covers below him.

My mind fixates for a moment on the fact that I'm wearing a skirt as I continue watching my hand pump up and down. He's so fucking hard, and it would be so easy to just straddle him and pull my panties to the side. Let him sink in to the hilt.

_God._

Licking my suddenly very dry lips, I lean forward and flick my tongue over the underside of his head. Edward's entire body convulses, and he throws both arms over his eyes.

"Okay?"

"Yes," he croaks out.

I continue flicking my tongue on that spot, relishing his groans. Then, opening my hand and just covering the front, I flatten my tongue against the underside of his shaft, dragging it up and circling it around the ridge at the top.

"_Fuck_," he grits out, and a rush of wetness pools between my legs. I have _never_ heard him say that word. I want to hear it again, so I part my lips over his swollen head and move down, sucking him into my mouth. Gripping his base in my fist again, I use it in tandem with my mouth, up and down, lick and swirl. I glance up at him, and his head is shaking back and forth, but he lifts his hips at the same time, wanting more, so I know he's okay. It's probably overwhelming when he's never been touched by anyone but himself this way.

It makes me feel powerful, being the experienced one. Pulling these sounds from him. Knowing that I can bring him so much pleasure.

Closing my eyes, I hum around him, and his hands are suddenly in my hair, fingtertips pressing into my scalp. Not enough to hurt, but it makes me speed my movements slightly. "_God_, Bella." My pussy clenches at the sound of my name falling from those lips in that desperate tone, and I increase my efforts even more, bringing one hand up to cup his balls.

That's all it takes to push him over the edge. He doesn't give me a warning. Maybe he doesn't realize he should, or maybe he remembers what I said earlier about wanting him to come in my mouth. Either way, he does with an intense shudder, rewarding me with another muttered _fuck_ as I swallow.

Edward tries to catch his breath as I whip my sweater over my head and unhook my bra, tossing it to the floor. I move to lie beside him, and he turns to face me, cupping one of my breasts and kissing me hard, pressing one leg between mine. I rock against his thigh, craving friction, so turned on at having him in my hand and my mouth and wondering when I'll have the opportunity to do that again.

I'm already so worked up, it's not long before I find my release, stiffening in his arms. My mouth is still locked to his, and he swallows my moans. Our kisses become less desperate, more soft and sweet as the bone-deep relaxation seeps through me.

When he releases my lips, I stroke my hand over his clean-shaven cheek. "Did you like your surprise?"

"Yes. Very much." His smile is lazy, and his eyes don't leave mine. He looks at me with awe. Gratitude. Love.

He _loves_ me.

I still can't believe it.

Smiling proudly, I curl my hand around the back of his neck. "Good."

Edward skims a finger between my breasts and down to the waistband of my skirt. He glides it back and forth along the edge like he wants to delve inside.

Kissing him softly, I cover his hand with mine. "Is it okay if we sleep now?"

"But it's your birthday."

Pressing closer to him, I bury my face into his neck, inhaling his scent deeply. "Don't worry. I got just what I wanted."

* * *

**Thank you all for reading! xoxo **


	17. Omelettes

**Hai! Sorry this has taken me a bit. I've been working on several things and trying to spend more time with Mr. Geek when he's off-shift, so less time to write lately. Thank you for your patience! And thank you so much for all of your lovely and thoughtful reviews. They continue to make me smile so big!**

**Infinite thanks to Sophiacorgi, Sulliedsoles, Twilly, and BlueIsSoul. I luff these ladies so very much!**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 17 - Omelettes**

Slowly coming out of the haze of sleep, I feel fingertips brushing along my hair line. Then a thumb traces over my cheekbone, fingers curling around the back of my neck. Soft lips touch my forehead, and my eyes open to the view of stubble dotting a long neck.

Sighing, I run my hand up the warm arm that's wrapped around me, sliding it over a toned shoulder and pressing my body closer to his.

"I like waking up next to you," Edward whispers with his chin resting on top of my head.

I hum my agreement and kiss his chest. "I like it too."

"Do you still, um…" He pauses and swallows. "...love me?" His voice cracks, and I hug him to me tighter.

"Of course I do." I chuckle and kiss his neck. "Did you think it would just go away overnight?"

"It's just…" He sighs. "After what we did… And you never actually said it to me directly, and…" His chest expands with a big breath. "I _ejaculated_ into your mouth. Is that… I mean…" His breaths get a bit faster and heavier like he's panicking.

My hands press against him until he backs away enough for me to see the hurt look on his face. Pushing him on to his back, I lie half on top of him and place my palm against his cheek. "Edward. What we did last night was amazing, okay? I _wanted_ to do that for you, so please don't feel guilty about it. Especially since I want to do it again."

"Right now?"

I laugh. "Maybe not right this second, but soon. And often," I add with an eyebrow waggle.

"Really?"

"Yes." I feel his dick twitch against my thigh. "But listen closely because this is the most important part." Edward's fingertips glide up and down my spine while his other hand covers mine on his chest. My eyes focus on his—on the way the green seems to sunburst out from his pupil. It takes my breath away any time I'm close enough to see it. "I _love_ you," I tell him, watching those eyes flutter closed as he sighs in relief. "So, so much. I can't imagine my life without you. And I can't wait until we can wake up together like this every morning." My eyes avert to his Adam's apple as it bobs, and I second guess myself. "I… I mean if that's what you want, too. Y'know, maybe in a few years." My shoulders shrug, eyes anywhere but on his because I can tell he's looking right at me now.

Neither of us says anything for a few seconds that feel like hours, until… "Bella?"

"Hmm?" I ask, watching my fingers trace circles on his chest.

"Would you, um…" Edward swallows. "I mean, do you want to, uh… Will you..." He takes a deep breath, and I hold mine, glancing up to see his eyes screwed shut.

Surely he's not pro_pos_ing. Right? That would be _crazy_. I mean, we've only been together for _two months_, and we're so young, and we still have college. I can't breathe.

_His_ lungs seem to be working fine as they inhale and exhale another big breath, his gaze focusing back on me.

"Would you consider playing World of Warcraft with me?"

.

.

.

Smiling down at his chest, I release a breathy chuckle. There's a small twinge of disappointment, which is stupid, but whatever. I know how much he loves his game, so I feel like it's still kind of a big deal.

But the question is… _Do_ I want to play? I've never gotten in to video games, but imagining his excitement over it makes me excited too.

"If you want me to, I'd love to try it," I tell him with a smile.

Edward squeezes me to him and then tries to kiss me, but I cover my mouth with my hand, making his lips land on the back of it.

"Sorry," I mumble. "But I'm pretty sure my breath smells like Satan's asshole right now, so I'm gonna go brush my teeth first."

His thick eyebrows shoot up. "I don't know about Satan's asshole, but I imagine I have some rather bad halitosis this morning too."

Holding my index finger and thumb about a half inch apart, I grin at him. "Maybe a little."

After getting cleaned up and changed, I head out to the living room while Edward's in the shower so I won't be tempted to jump him.

All that wet boy…

_God._

Groaning at the mess, I pull some trash bags out from under the sink and start collecting bottles. I send a text to Emmett telling him he better get his hungover ass over here to help me.

I'm so glad he moved the party last night. I just hope everyone had designated drivers because we promised Mom and Dad no one would drink and drive.

Ten minutes later, I hear a noise in the kitchen and look up from my spot on the living room floor to see Edward in there cleaning. The warmth in my chest spreads out and makes my arms tingle as a goofy smile blooms on my face.

Stepping into the doorway, I watch him for a moment. He's barefoot. His hair's still wet from his shower, and I bite my lip to stifle a moan when he bends to put something in the dishwasher. When he straightens, he notices me there and sends me a brilliant smile as he begins rinsing another glass, and I get a glimpse into our future. Or what I hope is our future. Being together. _Living_ together. Doing normal, mundane things like dishes.

Grinning back at him, I tell him he doesn't have to help clean.

"It's okay. I don't mind helping. Would you like me to make some breakfast?"

Yeah, he's pretty much perfect.

My stomach rumbles at the mention of food. "I can just have cereal. No big deal. I'm not sure what all we have here."

Edward checks the fridge, and it turns out we've got eggs and milk. Some cheese and a few other ingredients he says will work for omelettes.

I'm pretty sure I drool a little.

Over breakfast, Edward asks me about my confrontation with Brady.

"I still can't believe he had the balls to show up here. What an _ass_hole." I'm getting riled up again just thinking about it. "I'm glad I got to finally tell him off, though. It felt really good."

"Good," Edward says before gulping down some orange juice. "Um… Do you think he'll try to talk to you again?"

I sigh. "Probably. It sounded like he had more he wanted to say, and he's a stubborn motherfucker. But hopefully I embarrassed him at least a little, so maybe he'll leave me alone."

"I hope so," he says quietly.

"Hey." Reaching over the small table, I place my hand on top of Edward's. His eyes meet mine. "It'll be okay. I don't think he'd try to physically hurt me again. Even though he's still a cocky son of a bitch, he seemed to have changed a little." He doesn't look convinced. "I promise I'll be careful."

Edward sighs. "Okay."

My fingers stroke the back of his hand. "Maybe you can get all protective and sexy again like you did with Tyler," I say with a wink and a mock-growl.

The corners of his mouth curl up slightly. "I think that might have been the first time I ever stood up to anyone. It was… I don't know. I felt this need to make him understand that he can't just touch you without your permission."

My eyes soften as I look at the hint of pride on his face. That was a really big deal for him, and I was too caught up in how hot he looked all angry and shit that I didn't even realize it. I don't want to sound condescending, but I'm so damn _proud_ of him. It fills my chest up, and tears brim in my eyes.

"Are you all right?" he asks, alarmed as he realizes tears have spilled down my cheeks.

Pushing my chair back, I move around the table and throw my arms around his shoulders, squeezing and sniffling. "I love you."

Edward's hand wraps around my forearm that's across his chest. "I love you too, Bella."

* * *

Emmett never shows up to help—asshat, but we get it all done after eating Edward's fucking delicious omelettes.

On the way out the door with our bags, Edward stops and turns around. "I hope we can spend some more time here together soon. It was nice."

Stepping forward, I get him to lean down and kiss me by pulling on the front of his sweater. "It was. I think since everything is as we found it, the parents will be happy. I'm sure I can convince them to let us come out here again soon. Maybe in a couple weeks?"

He plants his lips on mine again, hugging me close. "Yes."

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! xoxo**


	18. Ready

**Twilly, BlueIsSoul, Sulliedsoles, and Sophiacorgi completely rock my world. Thank you so much, ladies.**

**I can't say it enough. You guys are SO awesome. Seriously. I puffy heart you all so much for loving these two the way you do! And of course for leaving me so much love. Your thoughtful reviews always make me smile so big. :D**

**And speaking of reviews...**

**Dear anon reviewer (whoever you are…): Your assessment (based on one chapter) of this fic (You should probably look up the definition of 'drabble'... Oh, and 'sex' as well) and my motives is completely inaccurate, but nice try. If your goal was to make me laugh, then you succeeded.  
And by the way, the timing of this was SO predictable, lol.**

**SM owns all things Twilight. All mistakes are mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 18 - Ready**

Our next week at school is beyond weird. Rumors fly even though a lot of the students were actually _at_ the party. Obviously not everyone saw everything, but still.

Apparently, I slapped Jessica and pulled her hair. I kicked Tyler in the balls just for talking to me.

Who knew I was so violent?

Some are saying Brady and I made up after I yelled at him, and I've dumped Edward to get back with him. I rolled my eyes hard at that one.

It's like one big fucking ridiculous game of telephone around here. All I can do is tell the truth if someone asks me directly, which not many do. It's obvious Edward and I are still together, so hopefully people will figure out that the rest isn't true either.

Whatever.

I'm just happy Edward and I got some time alone, and no one got arrested or anything. Em said he ended up at Rose's and was sleeping when I texted him the next morning.

Sleeping… _Right_.

Mom and Dad weren't happy to hear about Brady showing up. I didn't give them all the gory details, but they know I stood up to him and are proud of me for it. The next day, a can of pepper spray appeared on my desk next to my purse.

The following week, Edward finally gets me to try out World of Warcraft, and… I suck at it.

He sets me up on his computer to try it out, but he hovers and gets impatient when I do something wrong. Or when my character just stands there because I don't know what the hell I'm doing. By about the tenth time he leans over me to take control of the keyboard and mouse, my frustration gets the best of me, and I tell him it's probably best if I go home and try again later.

Edward's visibly disappointed, but I make sure he knows I'm not mad at him and give him a kiss goodbye. Maybe if I play online with him from home, it'll be easier. I _do_ want to try again because the way his face lit up when I told him I'd play was just priceless. It may have been the most excited I've seen him since the first time I took my bra off. And an excited Edward makes for a happy Bella.

* * *

Surprisingly, it doesn't take much convincing for my parents to give me the keys to the lake house again. Dad grumbles a little, which was to be expected, but Mom slips me the keys and tells me to have a good time. Edward has spent quite a bit of time at our house, and my parents still adore him. And I know they trust me. It feels good.

Edward and I are giddy as we buy groceries for the weekend and stock the fridge.

I giggle when Edward unpacks another _three_ strips of condoms from his bag. There's also another note from his dad.

I picked him up at his house earlier, and his mom looked like she was about to chew her nails off. "You're being safe, right?" she'd whispered to me while Edward was grabbing his bag.

My relationship with Esme is good. We're pretty open with each other. She tries so hard not to baby him, but I know it's tough for her. It's not totally abnormal for us to talk about how school's going for him and things like that. He's been through a lot, after all.

"We're not… um…" I'm still uncomfortable talking about _sex_ with her, though. I mean, it's _sex_. With her _son_.

"You're not being safe? Oh, God." She clutched at her heart.

"Shit, Esme. No. I'm sorry." My hands kind of reached out to her, to do what, I have no idea. "I mean, we haven't done…_ that_… yet."

She searched my face. "Oh. O—okay. But you _will_ be safe when the time comes, right?"

"Of course we will. Please don't worry. We're both smart. And it's not like Carlisle is exactly stingy with the condoms," I tried to joke. Her eyes widened. "Too much?"

"A little."

We both laughed as Edward emerged from the hallway. "Ready?"

"Yes."

* * *

Being at the lake house again, just the two of us, is amazing. It makes us feel more like a real couple or something.

Like adults.

That night, after Edward's made spaghetti and meatballs, which I happily devoured, and we've watched the new Superman movie, we head to the bedroom.

I'm sitting on the bed putting lotion on my legs when I notice Edward's gone still in front of me. He's just standing there, staring. "You okay?"

His eyes, which I've determined were on my crotch, shoot up to mine, and he licks his lips. "Yes."

"C'mere." I pat the space beside me on the bed. He seems nervous, and I don't really understand why. It's not like we haven't found time to do things in the last couple weeks. I've given him a couple more blow jobs in his car, and we still dry-hump pretty much every chance we get.

Edward brushes my hair out of the way and kisses my shoulder at the edge of my tank strap. I shiver.

"Are you cold?"

"No."

"Okay." He clears his throat. "Will you, um…" His eyes flick to mine. "Would you mind taking your clothes off?"

I release a shaky exhale. "Like… all of them?"

"Yes."

"What… uh… Are you going to take yours off too?" Yeah, that was a squeak at the end.

I don't know why _I'm_ so nervous. I'm fairly experienced, but it's _Edward_. I love him so much, and I realize I don't want to disappoint him. Ever.

"No."

"Oh." My shoulders slump a little. "Well, what did you have in mind?"

"I want to touch you." His eyes are on mine when he says this, and he runs a single finger down my arm. My body shudders, and I feel myself getting wet just from the sound of his voice and that simple touch.

"Okay," I breathe out.

After stripping my tank and pajama shorts off, I lie naked before him. Edward studies my body like it's a textbook, looking me over and burning me with those elusive eyes. His head tilts to the side as his gaze lands between my legs, and I have the strongest urge to cover myself. But I don't have time. Edward leans forward and wraps his warm hands around my thighs, pulling me down the bed so my legs dangle off the edge. He falls to his knees, and oh, _God_, is he going to do what I think he's going to do?

"Edward, you don't ha—"

"I've been doing research online. I want to make you feel good, Bella."

"You do?"

He nods, still staring at my… pussy, if I'm being blunt. "Yes."

I prop myself up on my elbows. "I just want to make sure you're comfortable."

A shy smile creeps across his face. "I am. Are you comfortable?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

"Okay." Edward licks the pad of his thumb, and I swear, I almost come right then. "This is your clitoris, right?" He goes right for the kill, his thumb pressing down on it, and my back arches high off the bed, a surprised squeak leaving my throat. The pressure is gone almost instantly. "Did that hurt?"

I laugh and rub my thighs together, missing the friction. "No. Not at all. You can, uh… keep touching me there if you want."

"Okay."

I spread my legs and watch him lick his thumb again because how can I _not_? It comes back down on me, and he rubs with purpose this time, up, down, circling around, and repeating.

I am a moaning, groaning, sheet-fisting mess. My eyes are squeezed shut against the onslaught of pleasure this beautiful boy is giving me, and without my brain's permission, I lift my legs and plant my feet on the end of the bed, giving him more than an eyeful.

"You're wet," he whispers.

"Mmhmm," I moan.

"That means I'm doing it correctly."

A delirious laugh escapes me, and I nod. "Yes, Edward. Yes, yes, _yes_, you fucking are."

A finger probes my entrance as his thumb continues moving against me. Opening my eyes, I look to Edward as he pulls his free hand back and raises it to his face. He observes the shiny liquid on his finger for a moment before peeking his tongue out to taste it. After that little taste, he sucks the finger into his mouth, and my whole body seizes as my orgasm crashes over me, my hands coming up to squeeze my breasts as I shake with its intensity.

_God_, that was hot. Watching him suck that finger covered in my wetness into that luscious mouth of his? Yes. And please.

I have to bat his hand away because he's still pressing and circling, and I'm painfully sensitive now.

"I want to see that again," he murmurs.

"What?" I ask, propping myself up on my elbows again.

"All of it. You grabbing your boobs and your body stiffening and your face contorting like that."

My hand unconsciously comes up to touch my face. "Uh… Are those good things?"

"Yes."

I smile. "Okay."

He levels those green eyes at me, and I clench. "I want to make you wet again." More clenching.

"Oh, I'm still wet, loverboy. But you can make me wet any time you want. In fact, you make me wet sometimes without even trying."

Edward's head tilts a bit. "How so?"

"Just by being near me sometimes."

"Oh." He blushes and ducks his head. "You make me hard sometimes just by being near me."

This is not news to me, but I don't let on. "Mmmm. Are you hard right now?"

"Yes."

I hold my hand out, and he takes the hint, climbing up onto the bed with me. We face each other, and his eyes are glued to my bare tits. Not surprising.

Throwing one arm around his neck, I press a little closer. "Thank you, Edward. That was incredible."

He looks up at me. "It was?"

"Yes."

"Good." His eyes go back to my breasts as his hand comes up to play with one. He's an expert now, and I moan as he tweaks my nipple and then palms me. "When you're ready…" He peeks up at me. "I'm ready to have sex with you, Bella."

That was _not_ what I was expecting him to say, and I suck in a harsh breath. Saliva goes down my windpipe, causing me to choke and my eyes to tear up like crazy. Hacking and coughing, I hold my index finger up as Edward pats my back awkwardly. Once I get myself back under control, I ask him if he's sure. A hundred percent sure because there's no going back.

Those green sunburst eyes burn into mine as his large hand traces down the curve of my waist, and he nods. "Yes."

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! xoxo**


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